A 16-year-old Centralia male was arrested by Centralia police over the weekend and charged with several crimes, including aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, after attempting to flee police on a bicycle. A firearm alleged to be in the teenager’s possession was kept for evidence and the teenager was released with a notice to appear in court due to a lack of available juvenile beds.
According to police, a call came in from Lamplight Apartments at 3:05 AM Saturday morning reporting that a male was attempting to break into cars in the parking lot. The caller gave a description of the suspect and officers in the area were notified. An officer located a subject in the area on a bicycle on McCord at Bel-air. The CPD officer attempted to make contact with the male, but the male refused to stop and attempted to flee the officer. The male rode the bicycle in between houses, before dumping the bicycle and fleeing on foot. Officers say the male fell face first and an object fell from the male’s body. The male then started running back eastbound towards Blackberry Run from the church. Officers chased the male on foot, when he was tackled, taken to the ground, and secured in handcuffs. The male was identified as a 16-year-old from Centralia. Officers say they backtracked to the area of the chase where the male fell and found a loaded 9mm Smith and Wesson handgun with a “drum-style” magazine capable of holding a large amount of ammunition.
The 16-year-old was positively identified by the caller as the suspect attempting to enter vehicles in the Lamplight Apartments parking lot. The 16-year-old along with the firearm were transported to the station for further processing. The teenager has been charged with Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Possession of a Firearm without a FOID, Flee/Eluding Police, Resisting a Peace Officer, Curfew, No Mounted Bicycle Light, and Improper Lane Usage on a Bicycle. Police Lieutenant Steve Whritenour says there has been a troubling trend in juvenile detentions not being held because of a lack of juvenile beds available. Following the closure of Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center earlier this year, the probation department is having serious issues finding a detention center for detainable violators.
