SEATTLE — Officers with the Seattle Police Department (SPD) spent the weekend recovering handguns and narcotics during a series of arrests.
Just after midnight on Saturday, patrol officers found a car illegally parked after hours near the Alki Beach Pier. While speaking with the driver and passenger, police say they saw a loaded handgun in the center console.
Police safely recovered the weapon and arrested the 27-year-old driver for possessing the gun, which was previously reported stolen.
The passenger was also detained, with police adding that he had a $7,500 warrant out for his arrest, issued by the Federal Way Police Department for physical control. He was also armed with a stolen handgun and tried to run from officers, but was arrested for resisting arrest and the unlawful carrying of a pistol.
Police also recovered 3.9 grams of cocaine and 27.5 grams of fentanyl during the arrests, and both suspects were booked into the King County Jail.
Then, on Sunday morning, officers arrested two other men after they were caught firing a gun from their car’s sunroof in Pioneer Square.
At around 2:20 a.m., patrol officers were outside of Xtadium nightclub when they witnessed a drive-by shooting. They followed the car and performed a ‘high-risk stop’, detaining four occupants near King Street station in the Chinatown-International District.
The occupants told police there were multiple guns in the glovebox. While investigating, police determined the driver and passenger were firing the weapons.
According to SPD, the 37-year-old driver is under Department of Corrections supervision for murder and is prohibited from carrying a firearm. SPD also confirmed that the passenger, a 36-year-old man, is a convicted felon and is also prohibited from carrying a gun.
Both suspects were arrested and booked into the King County Jail under suspicion of drive-by shooting and unlawful possession of a firearm. The remaining two occupants were detained and released at the scene.
Gun Violence Reduction Unit (GVRU) detectives were assigned to both cases, and both cars were impounded for evidence.