Two juveniles arrested after East Wenatchee police recover two firearms

EAST WENATCHEE — Two 17-year-old juveniles were arrested after East Wenatchee police recovered two firearms during a traffic stop following a reported weapons violation July 2.

Officers responded to the 200 block of North Georgia Avenue after receiving a report that a vehicle had driven past a residence while its occupants flashed gang signs and the passenger displayed a handgun out the window, according to the East Wenatchee Police Department. The police said that the vehicle then fled the area after running a stop sign.

Police located the vehicle near the intersection of Fourth Street Southeast and South Kentucky Avenue and conducted what the department described as a high-risk traffic stop. The driver and passenger, both 17-year-old males, were detained without further incident.

While securing the scene, officers spotted a handgun in plain view on the front passenger-side floorboard. The vehicle was seized while investigators obtained a search warrant to recover the firearm and search for additional evidence.

The passenger was arrested on suspicion of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, brandishing a weapon capable of producing bodily harm and felony harassment involving threats, according to police.

The driver was arrested on an outstanding warrant. Police said he had been released from a long-term juvenile detention sentence about three weeks earlier on firearms-related charges.

After executing the search warrant, investigators located a second firearm beneath the driver's seat. Police said the additional discovery led to a first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm charge being added against the driver.

Both juveniles were booked into the Chelan County Juvenile Detention Center pending further proceedings.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media