READING, MASS. (WHDH) - A 16-year-old Charlestown boy is facing a raft of criminal charges after police say he was behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle when he fled a hit-and-run crash in Reading on Saturday night and led officers on a chase into North Reading.
Officers responding to a report of a hit-and-run crash at the intersection of Haverhill and Franklin streets around 6:45 p.m. learned the vehicle involved had been reported stolen, according to Reading police.
When the unlicensed teen returned to the scene of the crash, it triggered a pursuit through the town that ended in North Reading when he turned onto a dead-end street, according to police.
A search of the vehicle uncovered a black handgun and a large-capacity feeding device.
“This was a potentially dangerous situation, and our officers did a tremendous job by preventing it from escalating further and taking a firearm off of our streets,” Reading Deputy Police Chief David Clark said.
The teen is facing charges including carrying a firearm without a license, possession of a large capacity feeding device, possession of ammunition without an FID card, receiving stolen property (motor vehicle), larceny of a motor vehicle, operating without a license, leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, operating to endanger, marked lanes violation, failure to stop, and violation of the marijuana bylaw (less than one ounce).
He is being held on $100,000 bail pending arraignment in Woburn District Court.
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