What started as a routine patrol in downtown Worcester on Monday night turned into a foot chase and a serious gun bust, according to police. Detectives arrested 18-year-old Eliel Rios after finding a loaded, unserialized "ghost" gun on him, the Worcester Police Department said. Members of the department’s Gang Unit and Crime Gun Intelligence Unit moved in after spotting suspicious behavior and quickly took Rios into custody when he tried to bolt.
How officers say the stop unfolded
According to the Worcester Police Department, detectives were proactively patrolling near Suffolk and Wall streets at about 7:45 p.m. when they noticed two men whose behavior suggested they might be armed. Police say one of them, identified as 18-year-old Rios, tried to run. He was detained shortly after, and officers recovered a loaded, large-capacity 9mm "polymer 80" style firearm without a serial number from his person.
Charges and booking
Local reporting confirmed the arrest and detailed a long list of charges. As reported by Worcester Patch, Rios is allegedly ineligible to obtain a license to carry, yet now faces multiple counts. Those include carrying a firearm (second offense), carrying a loaded firearm without a license to carry, possession of ammunition without a Firearm Identification Card, possession of a large-capacity feeding device, possession of an untraceable firearm and resisting arrest.
Police statements and next steps
Per the Worcester Police Department, detectives were already familiar with Rios from a previous firearm-related investigation and arrest. The department has not released any information about upcoming court dates and did not share additional details about the ongoing investigation in the public statement.
Wider crackdown on ghost guns
This latest arrest lands in the middle of a broader local push against illegal firearms and homemade weapons. In February, a multiagency sweep in Worcester uncovered dozens of firearms, gun components and a 3-D printer allegedly linked to illegal manufacturing, according to WCVB. A month later, a traffic stop escalated into a high-speed chase that ended with officers recovering another discarded ghost gun. That incident underscored ongoing worries about untraceable weapons in the region, as reported in a story on a wild chase that ended with a ghost gun toss.
