A Ramsey County teenager pleaded guilty to owning a machine gun after authorities discovered a cache of illegally possessed weapons at the suspect's St. Paul home during an investigation in March.
Authorities said the investigation turned up "ghost guns, automatic machine guns, multiple extended magazines, and enough ammunitions for multiple drive-by shootings." The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) describes ghost guns as firearms that have been assembled or completed by an individual other than a licensed manufacturer.
Teenager's Home Found With Cache of Illegal Weapons
The main thing to note about these types of weapons is that they do not have a serial number, which is what typically makes them difficult to track. The 18-year-old has been charged with 12 felony counts, all relating to the trove of weapons that were found during the investigation.
The suspect pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of owning a machine gun as he appeared in juvenile court. Since then, officials have placed him on electronic home monitoring and house arrest ahead of his Wednesday sentencing, according to CBS News.
The teenager was reportedly charged in 2024 in an incident where he was accused of pulling a gun on someone at a rec center in St. Paul, as shown in court records. However, the charge was later dismissed after he served 180 days probation and a term of community service.
The seized weapons included several types of handguns, rifles, magazines, rifle plates, and ammunition. In a statement by the teenager to authorities, he allegedly bragged about his "collection" of dangerous items, KSTP reported.
Teenagers With a Gun
A separate incident involves the arrest of two teenagers at La Palmera Mall in Texas where officers with the Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD) found one in illegal possession of a gun.
The incident began when two off-duty officers working security wearing full CCPD uniforms were told about an incident regarding two boys in a department store who allegedly had a gun and may have threatened other individuals. When they saw the two suspects leave the store, they allegedly resisted arrest before being detained.
One of the suspects was a 14-year-old boy who was later charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon and resisting arrest. On the other hand, his colleague was charged with assault after he attacked a security guard as well as resisting arrest.
Police recovered the firearm used by the teenagers, who were then booked at the Nueces County Juvenile Justice Center, as per 3News.
