On October 17, at around 5:21 p.m., the Santa Maria Police Department's Gang Suppression Team was patrolling near Western Avenue and Kingston when they spotted two males, believed to be juveniles, walking southbound.

Officers noticed one of the juveniles making suspicious movements toward his waistband. When police tried to make contact, both individuals took off running. During the pursuit, one of the juveniles was seen repeatedly reaching for his waistband and discarded a firearm as he ran.

The two suspects split up, but officers were able to apprehend the juvenile who had dropped the weapon. Police recovered a loaded, unserialized 9mm polymer handgun from the area.

The suspect, a 15-year-old boy, was taken into custody without further incident and booked into Santa Maria Juvenile Hal

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