BOSTON (WHDH) - Two Roslindale men are facing criminal charges after they were caught with a stolen TEC-9 during a traffic stop in Boston on Wednesday morning, officials said.
Officers on patrol in the Archdale Housing Development around 10:15 a.m. observed a motor vehicle with a canceled license plate traveling at a high rate of speed on Archdale Road in the direction of Brookway Terrace, according to the Boston Police Department.
When officers initiated a traffic stop, police say 26-year-old Anthony Villafane and 24-year-old Michael Gerald opened their doors in an attempt to flee on foot.
Officers were able to prevent both men from exiting the vehicle and later learned Villafane was operating an unregistered vehicle with a suspended driver’s license.
Officers grew suspicious when Gerald reached to the floor for a backpack. Police say a loaded Intratec, TEC-9 firearm with one round in the chamber and five rounds of ammunition in the magazine was found in the bag.
A check on the firearm revealed that it had been reported stolen out of Covino, California, on Dec. 12, 1997.
Gerald is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawful possession of a loaded firearm, receiving stolen property, and carrying a dangerous weapon.
Villafane is charged with operating after revocation or suspension and operating an uninsured motor vehicle on a public way.
Both men were slated to be arraigned in West Roxbury District Court.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)