Two 16-year-old boys were arrested in Mattapan Saturday morning after one of them allegedly ran from officers while clutching a loaded Glock 17 to his chest, and the other allegedly shoved a police officer trying to restrain him. District 3 officers made the stop near 131 Ruthven Street at about 11:14 a.m. after spotting a large group gathered at the intersection of Humboldt Avenue and Ruthven Street.
According to the Boston Police Department, officers approached the rear of an apartment building in the area and attempted to handcuff one of the teens, who broke free and ran through a parking lot and down an adjacent alley. Police say he was holding his chest as he fled, pinning a firearm against his body, and was wearing black sweatpants and a green hooded sweatshirt at the time. Officers detained him and recovered the weapon, which they say was a black polymer Glock 17 9mm loaded with 10 rounds of live ammunition.
As officers worked to regain control of the first teen, police say a second 16-year-old interfered and pushed one of the officers. Both boys were ultimately handcuffed. District detectives processed the recovered firearm, per the same department statement.
Charges Facing the Two Teens
The first teen is expected to face charges of possession of a large-capacity firearm, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card, and resisting arrest, according to police. The second teen is expected to face charges of interfering with a police officer and resisting arrest. Police say both are expected to be arraigned in Boston Juvenile Court.
A standard Glock 17 is a full-size service pistol built with a factory magazine capacity of 17 rounds, according to Glock, which is why the weapon exceeds Massachusetts' 10-round threshold for large-capacity firearms even though it is a common handgun model. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 269, Section 10(m), unlicensed possession of a large-capacity firearm or feeding device carries a mandatory minimum state prison sentence of 2.5 years and a maximum of 10 years, per the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Separately, carrying an unlicensed firearm outside one's residence carries its own 18-month mandatory minimum in a house of correction, with an additional consecutive sentence of up to 2.5 years for carrying it loaded, according to the Law Offices of Matthew Chin, Esq.
Could Prosecutors Seek Adult-Level Sentencing?
Because both boys are 16, an open question in the case is whether Suffolk County prosecutors will keep the matter in standard Boston Juvenile Court delinquency proceedings or pursue a Youthful Offender indictment. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 119, Section 54, prosecutors have discretion to seek that status for juveniles aged 14 to 17 facing felony firearm offenses, which would expose the teen to adult-level sentencing while the case remains within juvenile court jurisdiction, according to Attorney Andrew Berman. It is not yet known which path prosecutors will take.
Ruthven Street sits within District 3, the Mattapan district, headquartered at 1165 Blue Hill Avenue and covering Mattapan and parts of North Dorchester. The district has leaned heavily on its Youth Violence Strike Force, a multi-agency unit established in the early 1990s to target street-level illegal firearms, gang involvement, and juvenile gun possession, and which plays a role in executing Operation Ceasefire strategies.
A String of Recent District 3 Gun Recoveries
Saturday's arrest is the latest in a run of firearm recoveries in District 3 this month. Just days earlier, a 17-year-old was arrested on Michigan Avenue in Dorchester carrying a loaded gun, and on August 21 police reported a 16-year-old was arrested in Dorchester with a loaded Glock carrying a 22-round clip after a chase and crash. In May, a similar chase in neighboring District B-2 ended with a 16-year-old in cuffs and a loaded Glock off the street.
The Boston Police Department led all Massachusetts law enforcement agencies in 2024 by submitting 550 seized crime firearms to state authorities, with 9mm handguns the most frequently recovered caliber, according to the Commonwealth Fusion Center's 2024 Crime Gun Report. That enforcement push has continued even as Boston's overall violent crime has fallen sharply: citywide data reviewed in mid-2026 showed homicides down 52% in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2025, continuing a decline that saw 2024 record just 24 homicides, the city's lowest total since 1957, as reported by Axios.
The Ruthven Street case also arrives under a newer legal framework. In July 2024, Governor Maura Healey signed An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws, known as Chapter 135, which took full effect that October and overhauled state rules on serial number tracking, ghost guns, and large-capacity feeding devices. The update represents the state's most extensive gun law revision since 2014, according to the Boston Bar Association. Even as major violence indicators trend downward, street-level juvenile firearm possession remains a central focus for District 3 officers and the strike force tasked with getting guns like the Glock 17 off Mattapan streets.
