Utica Police Arrest 5 People On Weapon Possession Charges

Five people are facing Weapons Possession related charges following a traffic stop in the City of Utica.

Officials say members of the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) unit were proactively patrolling an area of the city due to a 'shots fired' call earlier in the day.

Officials say at approximately 10:30 p.m. officers noticed a vehicle commit a traffic violation and they attempted to pull the vehicle over. Eventually the car turned into a driveway at an address on Steuben Street.

Officers approached the vehicle and noticed that it was occupied by 5 individuals. Officers say they began to interview the individuals in the vehicle and eventually learned that one of the passengers was in possession of a .22 caliber handgun that happened to be loaded. That individual happened to be 15-years-old, according to police.

Due to the discovery, police say they conducted a search of the remaining individuals and the vehicle. That search turned up another loaded handgun hidden under the seat of the front passenger side. Officials say it was a 9mm with an extended magazine. As a result of the discovery, all 5 individuals were taken into custody and are now facing weapons possession related charges. Those arrested include 21-year-old Robert Bradley of Utica, 22-year-old Lewis Taylor and 18-year-old Xavior Robinson of Utica.

Two of three individuals facing weapons charges are under the ago of 18-years-old (15 and 16) and their names will not be released. Each of the individuals is facing at least one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon and Criminal Possession of a Firearm. Police say they are also still investigating the 'shots fired' incident.