WEST SPRINGFIELD — Police arrested 19-year-old Jaivon Amir Clark of Ware on Tuesday after responding to reports of a vehicle crash and erratic behavior in a business parking lot near the North End Bridge.
Officers found Clark in a highly agitated state near his damaged vehicle, unable to explain where he had crashed.
During the encounter, Clark was observed reaching for a backpack in the backseat, prompting police to detain him for safety reasons.
A search revealed Clark was carrying a live 9mm round in his front pocket without the required License to Carry (LTC) or Firearms Identification (FID) card.
Police also found a rolled marijuana cigarette, which Clark is underage to possess legally.
The subsequent vehicle inventory uncovered a Polymer 80 Inc. 9mm handgun with a round chambered and a 17-round magazine inserted, plus an additional box with 34 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Officers also seized an unlabeled prescription bottle containing 17 Oxycodone pills and seven sealed packages of marijuana from the backpack.
Clark faces charges including carrying a firearm without a license, improper firearm storage, possession of a large capacity firearm and feeding device, possession of ammunition without an FID card, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number during the commission of a felony, having a large capacity firearm in a vehicle, and drug possession.
He was taken into custody without further incident, and the items were seized as evidence.
The West Springfield Police Department is continuing the investigation.
