Boston Police Seize Illicit Automatic Firearm after Roslindale Collision, Taunton Man Charged

Officers found a fully automatic firearm during a routine reaction to a car crash in Boston’s Roslindale area early on Friday morning, which turned into an arrest. The Boston Police Department reported that the incident happened at approximately 4:46 AM after police were called to the junction of Dale Street and Polar Street due to a verbal argument.

Officers from Districts E-5 (Roslindale/West Roxbury) and E-18 (Hyde Park) promptly evaluated the scene and determined that the operators engaged in the collision were unhurt. One of the individuals, Richard Bereus, 21, of Taunton, was seen attempting to flee while yelling throughout the disturbance. He was then taken into custody and told that his car would have to be towed, which is how the finding came about.

A Glock 19 that had been altered with a Sear Switch to make it completely automatic was discovered during a check of Bereus’s car. Even more unsettling was the fact that the gun had an erased serial number and was loaded with a seventeen-round magazine. Serious questions concerning the purpose and origin of the firearm were raised by the identification of these unlawful alterations as well as the condition of the serial number.

Following his arrest, Bereus was charged with several offenses, including receiving a firearm with a defaced serial number, unlawfully possessing a firearm, unlawfully possessing ammunition, and unlawfully possessing a large capacity feeding device. After the pistol was found, Bereus finds himself in a difficult legal position as his arraignment is scheduled to take place at the West Roxbury District Court.

Additional information on Bereus’s motivation for possessing the illegal firearm and the circumstances leading up to the accident and subsequent altercation has not been made public by the Boston Police Department. But the case also shows how difficult it is for law enforcement to combat illegal firearm trafficking and gun violence.

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