North Charleston Police Department (NCPD) officers arrested 26-year-old Gustavao Garard Wright Hills Jr. early Sunday morning for unlawfully possessing a firearm.

Just after 6 a.m., officers observed two vehicles without headlights on Rivers Avenue. One vehicle pulled into a nearby parking lot, where Hills was detained. During the investigation, officers determined Hills had retrieved a handgun from the driver's side door and thrown it out the passenger side window. The loaded firearm was recovered in the parking lot.

Hills, who is prohibited from carrying a firearm due to a prior violent offense conviction, was charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Person Convicted of a Violent Offense. He was transported to the Al Cannon Detention Center.