Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A member of the Providence Street Boys youth gang has been arrested and charged with having a loaded handgun in his possession over the weekend.

Detectives assigned to the Providence Police Narcotics and Organized Crime Bureau arrested the youth while conducting surveillance on Sunday night outside his house on Indiana Avenue near Cranston's Edgewood neighborhood.

The gang member, 17, is a juvenile and was not identified.

The police said that they targeted the house because they had information that the youth usually had a gun on him when he ventured outside of his apartment. He was also on home confinement from the state Training School in Cranston for a previous crime.

During their surveillance, the police said that the juvenile and several other youths were hanging around outside and appeared to be smoking marijuana.

At 7:30 p.m., the police said that the juvenile hopped into a blue Honda that headed toward Narragansett Avenue. The car returned less than an hour later, the police said, and backed into the driveway of the Indiana Avenue residence.

The detectives approached the car and allegedly saw the juvenile place his left hand inside his jacket pocket. They immediately ordered both the juvenile and the car's18-year-old driver "to show their hands,'' the police said.

The juvenile removed a small silver handgun from his left pocket and tossed the weapon behind his seat, the police said. The police seized the gun -- a loaded .32 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver. The juvenile and the driver were arrested and taken to police headquarters to be processed.

At the station, Sgt. Michael P. Wheeler, who heads the department's anti-gang unit, discovered some marijuana in the juvenile's jacket pocket. He was charged with possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm without a license, possession of marijuana and for violating the terms of his home confinement.

The driver was not charged with any crime.

 Tags  gangs Providence RI

Comments

cjb said:

Seems like the only ones that can't get guns are law abiding citizens in RI.

I was just visiting Scranton, PA and my co-worker mentioned that he had just legally bought a gun, and got a license to carry it loaded, and that anybody can.

Link | November 17, 2009 1:08 PM
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Anthony Taylor said:

What a fine outstanding citizen who is clearly being harassed by the police here. I am surprised the ACLU was not called in. Isn't it his right to go to the Training School for a crime, be released, break parole, have a gun, smoke weed and run anywhere he chooses? That is the American way, right? Good job Providence Police - I only presume that next week we will read about how he was roughed up in the arrest and suing the city for damages.

Link | November 17, 2009 3:49 PM
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judge dred said:

Nice job to the real gun-man of Providence --- Sgt Sion and his motivated team of investigators.

Link | November 18, 2009 9:53 AM
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Tom P said:

How the Providence Police were able to show restraint and not blow this idiot away when he pulled out his gun to hide it is beyond me. I can't imagine what I would do if I was a cop and I was in that situation where a kid is pulling out a gun. This moron is lucky his brains aren't splattered all over the back seat of the car. Kudos to the officers involved!

Link | November 18, 2009 10:09 AM
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