What started as a late-morning traffic stop in Pasadena ended with two arrests and a handgun that police say had its serial number wiped clean.
Detectives pulled over a BMW near Mountain Road and Jumpers Hole Road on Thursday, June 18, and reported finding a loaded handgun with its serial number obliterated. According to police, the weapon contained 11 rounds in what officers described as a 30-round magazine. A 19-year-old man from Baltimore and a 16-year-old boy from Randallstown were arrested at the scene and charged after the discovery.
Police account
According to Fox45 News, detectives conducted the stop just before 11:30 a.m. and obtained consent to search the BMW before locating the firearm. The outlet identified the adult as 19-year-old Makieh Adian Sembly of Baltimore and reported that the younger suspect is a 16-year-old male from Randallstown.
Stops keep turning up weapons
Traffic stops in Anne Arundel County have repeatedly turned up guns and so-called ghost guns in recent weeks. In one early June stop in Severn, officers reported finding a loaded shotgun, suspected party drugs and cash, as detailed by loaded shotgun, suspected party drugs and cash. The Anne Arundel County Police news feed shows multiple recent press releases about traffic-stop investigations, underscoring how routine enforcement can quickly expand into weapons or drug cases, a pattern local authorities say they continue to monitor.
Legal exposure
Possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number can bring both state and federal exposure. Maryland's Public Safety Code requires serial numbers and sets penalties under §5-703, and federal law prohibits possession of firearms with removed or altered serial numbers under 18 U.S.C. §922. Prosecutors will weigh evidence, including who had access to the gun and what they knew about its condition, before deciding whether to pursue state or federal charges.
What happens next
Police say they booked the two suspects and turned over evidence to prosecutors for review, according to Fox45 News. Court dates and detailed charge information were not available at the time of the initial report, and are expected to appear in public filings as the case moves forward.
