Four teens arrested with guns, ski-mask

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana State Police arrested four Indianapolis teenagers allegedly found illegally in possession of firearms Tuesday night.

The incident began with a traffic stop around 11 p.m. near 38^th Street and Pendleton Pike.

According to a release from ISP, a trooper noticed a minivan driving with only one headlight working.

During a subsequent traffic stop, the trooper reportedly found the driver of the vehicle did not have a valid license. Five other occupants within the vehicle also didn’t have licenses.

While conducting an inventory of the vehicle before impounding it, troopers reportedly located three handguns, along with marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Four of the six occupants were arrested for the drugs and guns. Police said one of the firearms in the vehicle had been reported stolen from Louisville, Kentucky.

IN-DEPTH | Guns are stolen at an alarming rate in Indianapolis – more than 1 a day so far this year

Police said they also found a black ski-mask next to one of the guns in the vehicle.

The four individuals arrested were:

Ja Wan Thompson, 18, of Indianapolis, on preliminary charges of possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, possession of a firearm without a permit, possession of marijuana and operating a vehicle without a license;

Tighe Bibbs Jr., 18, of Indianapolis, on a preliminary charge of possession of a handgun without a permit;

Two 16-year-old juveniles, one who faces a preliminary charge of possession of a stolen firearm, and who both face preliminary charges of dangerous possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm without a permit.

Indianapolis police have reported a 70-percent increase in encounters involving minors with guns since 2013. That year, IMPD officers encountered 81 kids under the age of 18 in possession of a firearm. Last year, that number reached an all-time high of 138.

IN-DEPTH | ‘The Gun is Almost Like Gold:’ More kinds in the crossfire as Indy sees 70% spike in youths with guns

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