Teen arrested after trooper spots unlit scooter and finds untraceable handgun
WYOMING, DE — A routine traffic stop for a scooter with no light turned into a felony firearms arrest when troopers say a 16-year-old rider fled and was found carrying a loaded, untraceable 9mm pistol.
State Police say the encounter began at about 8:50 p.m. on Tuesday when a trooper pulled over a motorized scooter on Layton Avenue near Broad Street after observing it travel without a light. The rider, identified as a 16-year-old male from Wyoming, spoke with the trooper but then ran; a short foot pursuit ended with the teenager taken into custody. A search revealed a loaded Polymer 80 9mm handgun with no serial number tucked in his waistband.
The teenager was transported to Troop 3 and charged with multiple felonies and related offenses, including possession of a firearm by a person under 21, possession of ammunition by a person under 21, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, carrying a concealed deadly weapon, and possession of an untraceable firearm. Additional counts include resisting arrest and unlawful operation of a motorized scooter. After arraignment in Justice of the Peace Court 7, he was committed to Stevenson House Detention Center on a $21,200 secured bond.
Police allege the weapon discovered was both loaded and without a serial number, a characteristic of some ghost-gun style firearms that prevents tracing. The charges include enhanced counts tied to a juvenile in possession of a firearm and to carrying an unregistered, untraceable weapon.
Investigators processed the scene and continue routine procedures related to evidence and charging. The teen remains detained pending further court proceedings and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.