UTICA, N.Y. — A 23-year-old man was arrested early Thursday morning after fleeing a traffic stop, leading officers to discover a loaded ghost gun in a nearby dumpster, according to the Utica Police Department.
The incident began around 12:30 a.m. when an officer with the Patrol Division attempted to stop a vehicle near the intersection of Noyes Street and City Street for alleged traffic violations. Initially, the vehicle stopped, but the driver sped away as the officer approached.
Officers later located the vehicle, apparently disabled, in the 1400 block of Noyes Street. As the officer approached again, the driver fled on foot, leaving two passengers behind. A loaded 9mm magazine was found on the vehicle’s passenger floorboard, though no other evidence was discovered inside the vehicle.
With assistance from Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center staff and surveillance footage, officers tracked the suspect to the facility grounds. He was found hiding next to a dumpster, where a subsequent search uncovered a 9mm ghost gun. Police determined the previously recovered magazine belonged to the firearm.
The suspect, identified as Quamire Palmer, was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree and criminal possession of a firearm.