Three people were apprehended, including two juveniles, after police discovered a handgun with a defaced serial number during a search warrant at a Southbridge residence.
According to the Southbridge Police Department, detectives and officers, assisted by the Massachusetts Environmental Police K-9 Unit, carried out the search warrant on Thursday, July 16, at a home on Elm Street, as part of a months-long investigation.
During the search, the Environmental Police K-9 alerted investigators to an area inside a bedroom, where officers discovered a 9mm semi-automatic handgun with a defaced serial number that rendered it untraceable, according to police. Officers also seized a box containing 9mm ammo.
Three people were taken into custody: a 15-year-old juvenile, a 14-year-old juvenile, and Worcester resident Chamik Mendez-Garcia, 18.
Police said the 15-year-old was under house arrest at the time of the search warrant due to a previous incident involving the possession of four firearms.
Police say the 15-year-old was charged with possessing a firearm without a FID card, possessing a firearm with a defaced serial number, improper firearm storage, and possessing ammunition without a FID card.
Mendez-Garcia was charged with possessing a firearm without a FID card and possessing a handgun with a tampered serial number.
The 14-year-old was charged with possessing a firearm without a FID card and having a firearm with a defaced serial number.
According to police, the 15-year-old was held without bail, while the 14-year-old and Mendez-Garcia were both kept on $10,000 cash bond pending their arraignments.
“This investigation demonstrates our department’s commitment to proactively investigating violent crime and removing illegal firearms from our communities. We appreciate the Massachusetts Environmental Police and their K-9 Unit’s help during this operation,” the Southbridge Police Department said in a statement.
Leave a Reply