Waltham police have reported the seizure of an illegally possessed firearm following a vehicle stop on Crescent Street. The traffic stop, which occurred near Woerd Ave, led to two arrests and the recovery of a loaded 9MM semi-automatic handgun equipped with a high-capacity 17-round magazine, with one round chambered ready to fire.
The Waltham PD's crackdown comes at a time when cities are looking to ever more aggressively get guns off the streets. The two individuals arrested are both 21-years-old, one a resident of Waltham and the other of Marlboro. They now face multiple charges, including carrying a loaded firearm and a large capacity firearm without a license. In an attempt to evade law enforcement, they also face charges for resisting arrest and assault & battery on a police officer.
This development was first made public in a Facebook post from the Waltham MA Police Department, which detailed the event and ensuing arrests. "A subsequent investigation led to the recovery of an illegally possessed firearm and two arrests for numerous related charges," the post read, laying bare the facts of the incident without embellishment.
The focus of the authorities to actively reduce the number of illegal firearms in circulation underlines the ongoing concern about gun violence impacting local communities. The matter is, as of yet, still under investigation, a sign that law enforcement is not yet ready to close the book on this case. The significance of taking a loaded weapon off the streets, particularly one with the capability to rapidly to dispense a significant number of rounds, cannot be understated.
