North Charleston Police (NCPD) arrested a 16-year-old Sunday evening after officers found a loaded handgun during a traffic stop in the Chicora-Cherokee neighborhood.

At approximately 5:35 p.m., an officer patrolling near Spruill Avenue and Reynolds Avenue observed several young males enter a vehicle parked at the B&M Mart. The officer reported that the group froze and watched his patrol car after noticing it.

Police initiated a traffic stop after observing the vehicle with illegally tinted windows and an inoperative third brake light.

During the stop, the officer said he observed a THC vape inside the vehicle and noted that all of the occupants appeared extremely nervous. The 16-year-old passenger was reportedly shaking and smoking a freshly lit cigar. When asked whether there were any firearms in the vehicle, the teen allegedly looked toward another passenger and answered "No" while simultaneously shaking his head both yes and no.

Officers instructed the juvenile to exit the vehicle. Police said he turned his waistband away from officers and attempted to back out of the vehicle. After a brief struggle, officers conducted a probable cause search and recovered a loaded 9mm handgun from the teen. An extended gun magazine was also found in the area where he had been sitting.

The juvenile was charged with Unlawful Possession of a Handgun by a Person Under 18 and was taken to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice.