Why’s a 17-Year-Old Have a Handgun?

04Aug08

Am I crazy?  Why’s a 17 year-old walking around after curfew with a handgun?  I never had a handgun.  I walked around after curfew once in a while, but never with a gun.  And I never ran from police either, that just makes you look guilty.

But that’s what Rialto Police are investigating today.  Last night at the Rennaissance Village Apartments, they were patrolling on foot when they came across four teen boys.  The boys scattered – three went one way, one went into a courtyard.  An officer followed that kid, hand-cuffed him and patted him down.  A gun fell from the boy’s waistband (underneath four pairs of shorts – I also never wore more than one pair of shorts at a time) and discharged.  The cop was hit in the lower left leg.  You can imagine the commotion for police when they hear a gun shot and find out one of their own is down.

Neighbors told us it got hectic after that.  One neighbor said she was detained for interfering, although denied any wrong doing.  Police did arrest her and one other person for that reason.  The 17-year-old was taken into custody for possession of a firearm and the officer is in the hospital.  At this writing, police did not want to release his name, only to say he’s in his mid-20’s and had been on the force for about a year.  A rookie cop with a big heart and a love for what he does, they told me.  Good thing, then, that he’ll be alright.  It’ll be nice to have someone with that commitment to goodness on the streets.

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Tags: handgun, Rialto, shorts