INDIANAPOLIS — A 16-year-old Indianapolis boy was arrested Tuesday after police say they found converted firearms, ammunition and marijuana inside his backpack.
According to recently released court documents, on July 9, an IMPD officer was conducting surveillance at a church located in the 1300 block of North Goodlet Avenue. The church was hosting a funeral service for a recently deceased homicide victim, according to court documents.
During the service, the IMPD officer noticed a person in the crowd with whom he was familiar. The person was a 16-year-old boy that the officer had previously arrested twice, once in 2022 and again in 2023.
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Court documents say that the officer had been looking for the 16-year-old anyway because the teenager had an active buccal warrant out to collect his DNA.
The IMPD officer initially noticed that the 16-year-old was wearing a black backpack, but then saw him walk into the parking lot of the church and return shortly after without the backpack. Court documents say the officer theorized the teen had put the backpack in a vehicle.
According to court documents, the IMPD officer reportedly saw another male, identified as Omoni Robinson, arrive at the funeral and begin to mingle with other guests. The officer reportedly remembered Robinson had an active probation violation warrant out for his arrest regarding a charge of felony trafficking with an inmate in LaPorte County.
After the funeral service ended, both the 16-year-old and Robinson were seen getting into a black Nissan Sentra along with two others. Court documents say the Nissan was registered to a person with a suspended license.
The IMPD officer, along with an IMPD detective, began following the Nissan as it joined the funeral procession in their marked squad car. After following the Nissan to the 5400 block of West Kessler Boulevard North Drive, police initiated a traffic stop. Additional IMPD units also arrived at the scene.
Court documents say that the Nissan initially stopped, but once the officers exited their squad car, the Nissan allegedly drove off, beginning a chase.
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The officers chased the Nissan along northbound Kessler Boulevard and then onto West 62nd Street. Court documents say that the Nissan eventually went off the road in front of a house in the 2900 block of West 62nd Street. All four occupants then got out and fled on foot.
During the foot chase, an IMPD officer reportedly saw the 16-year-old boy throw a handgun over a fence. Eventually, all four of the Nissan's occupants were found and detained by police.
The owner of the home where the Nissan stopped allowed police to search their backyard. One IMPD officer searched the backyard and found the handgun allegedly tossed over the fence by the 16-year-old. The handgun is described in court documents as a black .45-caliber Glock 21 with two serial numbers and was equipped with a machine gun conversion device. The gun was allegedly loaded with 29 live rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber.
Court documents say the IMPD officers could smell the odor of marijuana coming from the Nissan, giving them probable cause to search inside. IMPD reportedly seized 75 grams of marijuana that was found inside the Nissan's glove compartment in three separate sandwich bags. An additional eight grams of marijuana were also found in the Nissan's center console.
On the floor of the passenger side, court documents say officers found the backpack the 16-year-old was seen with at the funeral. Inside, the officers found empty sandwich bags, a sandwich bag containing "numerous" .45-caliber automatic rounds of ammunition along with a Glock switch. According to court documents, IMPD officers later found an extended .45-caliber magazine, two live .45 rounds of ammo, a tan rubber handgun grip, a broken digital scale and packaging to a machine gun conversion kit inside a smaller compartment of the backpack.
Under the seat, police found two additional loaded handguns, one being a .40-caliber Glock 22 and another being a 10mm Rock Island Armory 1911. Both handguns were found with live rounds in their chambers.
Court documents say the 16-year-old was also carrying $423 in cash at the time of his arrest. He faces felony charges of possession of a machine gun, dangerous possession of a firearm by a minor with a prior conviction, dealing marijuana and resisting law enforcement where the defendant draws a deadly weapon.
