Virginia Beach police arrested eight people, including a 16-year-old boy, after an investigation into illegal firearms, narcotics distribution and documented gang activity across the city. Detectives seized assault-style pistols fitted with illegal auto-sears, a 2024 Honda Civic, marijuana and drug-packaging materials during the operation, which police say is not yet finished.
Seven Warrants, Eight Arrests in a Single Sweep
Police arrested the eight suspects on Tuesday, October 6, executing seven simultaneous search warrants around Virginia Beach, according to WAVY.com. The outlet reports that investigators recovered what police described as significant evidence linked to local street gangs, along with documented gang paraphernalia. Virginia Beach police said they coordinated with the offices of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Virginia Beach and Chesapeake as the case moved forward.
Among the items detectives recovered were a 7.62mm AK Draco assault pistol, a 10mm Glock handgun equipped with an auto-sear and a .40-caliber Glock handgun also equipped with an auto-sear, per the station’s report. Also seized were marijuana, drug-packaging materials, electronic devices and a 2024 Honda Civic. The Second Precinct Crime Suppression Squad is leading the investigation, the same unit WAVY identifies as having led the sweep.
Eight Names, a Range of Charges
The adults arrested include 20-year-old Carlos Rivera and 19-year-old Rayanna Cooper, both of Virginia Beach, along with 21-year-old Desean Merton of Norfolk, 28-year-old Michael Acker of Suffolk, 18-year-old Justice Williams of Virginia Beach, 20-year-old Molicki Dozier of Virginia Beach, and 20-year-old Yetzen Serrano-Morales, also of Virginia Beach. Rivera was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, while Cooper and Merton each face charges of assault by mob; Merton is also charged with carrying a concealed weapon, second offense. Acker was charged with domestic assault.
Williams was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Dozier faces charges of assault by mob, furnishing a firearm to a felon and possession of an extended magazine. Serrano-Morales was charged with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
A 16-Year-Old Faces Machine Gun Charges
The most serious charges in the case fell to a 16-year-old boy from Virginia Beach, who was charged with three counts of possession of a machine gun, three counts of possession of an auto-sear, three counts of juvenile possession of a firearm, three counts of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and possession of an extended magazine. Police said additional indictments and charges connected to the case are anticipated, though the full scope of those pending charges has not been detailed.
Under Virginia law, a person convicted of certain felonies who knowingly possesses or transports a firearm within ten years of that conviction faces a mandatory minimum two-year prison term, according to the Virginia Code. Separately, the Commonwealth classifies the manufacture, sale or possession of an auto sear or trigger activator as a Class 6 felony, per the Virginia Code, the same statute cited in the case of the firearms detectives say were modified with auto-sears.
Not the First Multi-Agency Gang Sweep in the City
This is not the first time VBPD’s Second Precinct Crime Suppression Squad has led a large-scale gang investigation. A separate, year-long VBPD probe detailed by WTKR led to multiple adult and juvenile arrests after the squad, working alongside the department’s Property Crimes Unit, Norfolk Police SWAT, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Virginia State Police, executed four residential search warrants on March 1, 2023. That earlier operation resulted in charges covering 52 felonies and 16 misdemeanors and positively cleared more than a dozen stolen-auto cases, which police said are often linked to other crimes. Eight juveniles in that case faced charges including felony possession of stolen property, felony conspiracy to commit grand larceny, misdemeanor trespassing and juvenile possession of a firearm.
The new arrests come against a backdrop city officials have highlighted as a historically quiet year for violent crime. A City of Virginia Beach blog post states that only 419 violent crime offenses were reported in 2025, which it described as the lowest number in five years. A separate WAVY report from last month quoted the commanding officer of VBPD’s 2nd Precinct noting that a rise in Oceanfront arrests and illegal gun recoveries came after that historically low year for crime citywide.
