A traffic stop turned into an arrest after a teenager was caught with 140 grams of marijuana and a gun early Thursday morning, Gainesville Police said.
Xavier Maurice Lewis, 18, of Gainesville, was pulled over at the 3300 block of Northwest 34th Street for speeding down Northwest 39th Avenue, according to an arrest report.
Lewis suddenly switched lanes in front of an officer’s patrol car without using his turn signal, police said. The officer slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting the car.
When the officer pulled Lewis over, he noticed him rummaging through a backpack in the passenger seat. Police told Lewis to put his hands on the steering wheel, the report said.
The officer smelled marijuana coming from inside of the car while he spoke with Lewis and called for backup. Lewis denied having anything illegal until police were putting him in the backseat of a patrol car, police said.
Lewis told police that he had over 100 grams of marijuana and a gun in the car. The gun was in the same backpack Lewis was digging through, police said.
Officers found two sandwich bags with about 120 grams of marijuana under the driver’s seat. Inside of the backpack, they found a loaded handgun, digital scale, more sandwich bags, blunts and another 20 grams of marijuana, the report said.
Lewis is charged with possessing marijuana, possessing drug equipment and carrying an unlicensed firearm. He is being held in the Alachua County Jail in lieu of a $10,000 bond.
Contact Jessica Curbelo at jcurbelo@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @jesscurbelo
