SYRACUSE, NY – Police in Syracuse took an illegal gun out of circulation on Saturday after alert residents contacted the department about a suspicious vehicle in the St. Joseph’s Hospital parking lot.
According to police, Saturday, at around 3:23 a.m., Syracuse Police Officers were dispatched to a parking lot at St. Joseph’s Hospital for a report of a suspicious person with a weapon.
“A 911 caller reported seeing a male in the passenger seat of a black pick-up truck with a “revolver style gun” on his lap,” police reported. “Just prior to the Police Officers arriving, a female entered the driver seat of the pick-up truck and pulled out of the parking lot. Within moments, Officer Fellows and Officer Brauchle, who were patrolling the area, located the pick-up truck near the intersection of North Salina Street and East Division Street. Officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, eventually leading to the driver and passenger being detained.”
A visual inspection of the pick-up truck revealed a silver handgun with a black handle in plain view. The gun was observed within the passenger area of the truck. This area was where passenger Jose Vasquez, 57, was previously sitting. The weapon was a Taurus Ultra Lite .38 Special Revolver.
The handgun was found to be loaded with three live rounds. Vasquez, who is not a pistol license holder, was arrested, and transported to the Onondaga County Justice Center, where he was lodged on the following New York State Penal Law charges:
– Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree
– Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree
– Criminal Possession of a Firearm
Thank you, Officer Fellows and Officer Brauchle, for your quick response, and investigative techniques in getting yet another illegally possessed handgun off of our streets.