ALBANY, NY – Albany police officers who observed a man matching the description of an armed suspect Sunday night were able to recover a loaded handgun and take the man into custody.
On Sunday, May 30, 2021 at approximately 9:10 p.m., Albany police officers observed a man on the 400 block of Second Street just west of Quail Street who matched the description of a person who was reportedly armed with a handgun about 30 minutes earlier on North Pearl Street. As officers approached, the man ran from officers through several yards to the area of Third and Quail Streets where he was taken into custody. The suspect was identified as 27-year-old Joseph Cooper of Albany.
During the incident, a loaded 9mm handgun was also recovered by the officers. Through the investigation is was determined that the recovered handgun was reported stolen out of Shelby, North Carolina.
Cooper was charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd, Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3rd and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property 4th. He is scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Albany Criminal Court.