Syracuse, NY -- Syracuse police have seized three loaded, illegal guns since Sunday in separate incidents. On Sunday, officers were sent to investigate a suspicious vehicle with three people inside that was parked in a Croly Street parking lot. The officers found a gray Jeep Liberty with three inside in the parking lot. When the driver rolled down the window...
Syracuse, NY -- Syracuse police have seized three loaded, illegal guns since Sunday in separate incidents.
On Sunday, officers were sent to investigate a suspicious vehicle with three people inside that was parked in a Croly Street parking lot. The officers found a gray Jeep Liberty with three inside in the parking lot. When the driver rolled down the window of the Jeep, officers could smell burning marijuana, police said.
After the people were out of the car, police found a bag of marijuana on the driver. The driver told officers a marijuana cigarette was inside the car, police said. An officer found the cigarette and then looked inside a black nylon bag in the front seat, police said.
Inside, the officer found a loaded revolver with its serial numbers defaced, police said.
The driver was identified as Erik Williams, 22, of 173 Fairgreen Drive, Amherst. Williams was charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies, and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation.
The occupant of the passenger seat, Jennifer Thompson, 21, of 8320 Redwing Drive, Clay, was also charged with two felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
The backseat passenger was not charged by police.
In the second incident, police were called at 11:15 p.m. Wednesday to 320 Hawley Ave., where a man told dispatchers that his brother pointed a gun at him and threatened to kill him.
When police arrived, they found a man attempting to flee the area and stopped him. Jeadi Higdon, 27, of 320 Hawley Ave., came out of his house and identified the man in custody as his brother, James Higdon, and said he had a gun.
Police searched James Higdon and found nothing, but around the corner of the house they found a fully loaded 9 mm pistol on the ground next to a beer can.
James Higdon, 36, of 1813 E. Fayette St., was charged with two felony counts criminal possession of weapon and a misdemeanor count of menacing.
Early this morning, officers pulled over a Ford Explorer in the 200 block of Caldwell Street on a traffic violation. When the car stopped, both doors opened and the passenger took off running, police said.
The driver, however, raised his hands and got back into the SUV when ordered to by the officer. When the officer approached the SUV and looked inside, he saw what appeared to be a pistol grip by the shift lever.
What the officer discovered was a fully loaded sawed-off rifle with a shell in the chamber, police said.
The driver, Eric Williams, 23, of 400 Shonnard St., was charged with two felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon. He also was charge with aggravated unlicensed operation, unlawful possession of marijuana and several traffic violations.