4 Children Among 6 Arrested on Gun Charges in the City of Utica

Six people have been arrested and charged with multiple counts following a 'shots fired' investigation. Four of the individuals are minors.

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Monday Night's Incident

Police officials say units were dispatched to the area of Mortimer Street and Neilson Street Monday evening for reports of shots fired. Police learned from witnesses that a black Dodge Charger was involved in the incident and was seen speeding away from the scene.

What happened next led to the discovery of several individuals being arrested on weapons charges.

Officials say the vehicle in question was located and officers attempted to make a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle did not comply and a pursuit was initiated. That pursuit ended in the area of Elm Street and Elmwood Place, where an individual exited the Charger and fled on foot.

One of the units in pursuit chased the individual and was able to take them into custody.

Meanwhile, the Dodge came to a complete stop near the intersection of Oneida and James Streets. As officers approached the stopped vehicle, they observed several bullet holes in the side of the car and more shell casings inside the vehicle.

As a result, police say the driver was detained and questioned. Police say another vehicle of interest was stopped during the course of the events.

Numerous Youths Arrested

Inside the second vehicle, stopped along with the Charger, were several young individuals recognized by police due to past incidents of violence. One of those individuals located inside the vehicle had an outstanding warrant.

The individual with the warrant was removed from the car and taken into custody after a search of his person yielded a loaded ghost gun.

Other occupants of the vehicle were, as police described, nervous and acting uneasy. Every individual inside the car was removed and police say several suspects resisted arrest. Additionally, authorities say more weapons were discovered.

During the course of the removal of individuals, one patrol car sustained damage due to a suspect kicking it.

During the course of the entire investigation, four total handguns were discovered. As a result of this investigation, 6 individuals were arrested and 4 of them were children aged 16 or younger.

Police say the following subjects were arrested and are facing a variety of charges.

Suspects and Charges

Altino Love age 19 of Utica (party fled on foot from Charger):
Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the second degree
Criminal of a Weapon in the third degree (defaced)
Criminal Possession of a Firearm
Obstructing Governmental Administration
***Held at OCJ***

Questions Continue to Grow

The most notable aspect to these arrests is that only two of these individuals remained in police custody as a result of these serious crimes. What message does that send?

Also, a 14-year-old was allegedly in possession of a weapon and had a warrant from a prior incident. When will this youth crime wave cease?

It may not be anytime soon, but Utica Police have made huge strides with these 6 arrests and, hopefully, this will help bring about some progress in the city's first two homicide investigations of 2024.