UTICA, NY – A man was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon after allegedly pointing a handgun at two people and later being caught with drugs hidden in his underwear.
According to Utica Police, officers were called around 12:10 p.m. to State Street and Mandeville Street for reports of a man threatening others with a firearm.
The victims told police the man, whom they knew, pulled a handgun from his coat, asked if they were ready to die, and aimed it at them before walking away.
While searching the area, officers found a man matching the suspect’s description near a vehicle on Erie Street by Jason Street.
When approached, the man initially refused to cooperate and gave officers a name similar to the one they had been provided. After confirming his identity through a photograph, police detained him and began a search.
During the arrest, officers discovered a large plastic bag containing suspected narcotics concealed in the man’s underwear. A further search near the vehicle uncovered a loaded handgun matching the description given by the victims.
The suspect was identified as 35-year-old Austin Worn of Yorkville.
Police said Worn was transported to the Utica Police Department for processing without further incident.
Worn faces a series of felony and misdemeanor charges, including menacing in the second degree, multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon, and several counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance involving cocaine and fentanyl.
He was also charged with false personation after allegedly providing officers with a false name.
The investigation remains ongoing as police review the origin of the firearm and narcotics seized at the scene.