Teen was strolling through Franklin Field with a gun loaded with 19 bullets, police say

Boston Police report arresting a 17-year-old they say two officers on patrol spotted walking in the middle of Stratton Street in Dorchester's Franklin Field development Wednesday night.

Police say that when the officers got out of their cruiser around 9:40 p.m. to ask the teen and a pal why they were walking down the middle of the street, the two "quickened their pace to avoid the interaction:"

Officers were able to stop the two males, and conducted a threshold inquiry. Officers released both males and contacted District Detectives for assistance. After further investigation, detectives observed on surveillance footage that one of the individuals placed an unknown item behind a vehicle after seeing officers’ marked cruiser.

Officers searched the area and located a discarded firearm under the vehicle. The firearm was later determined to be a Springfield Armory with eighteen rounds in the magazine and one round in the chamber. Officers began to search the area and located the two suspects in the area of 185 Harvard Street [on the other side of Harambee Park].

The teen, too young to have his name released, was charged with being delinquent for unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a loaded firearm, unlawful possession of a large-capacity feeding device and unlawful possession of ammunition, police say.