NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — New Bedford Police officers seized two illegal firearms and made two felony arrests in separate incidents Saturday night, including one at a local business that is popular with children.

According to police, a call came in at about 7 p.m. for a man in possession of a firearm at the Funz Trampoline Park in Kings Plaza.

Police said officers arrived to find the suspect, and that when he noticed them, he attempted to hand a bag to another person, who refused to accept it.

“He then tossed this bag into a nearby garbage bin as he was stopped by officers Marc Felix, Henry Turgeon, and off-duty officer James Marinelli,” police said. “The suspect resisted their efforts to place him into cuffs but was eventually secured and taken into custody. Within the bag he had discarded was a 9mm handgun loaded with 13 rounds of ammunition.”

Police said he refused to identify himself during the booking process but it was later learned he was Chantra Say, 32, of Fall River.

Say is currently on probation out of Bristol Superior court for assault with intent to commit murder and possession of a firearm, stemming from a 2010 Fall River shooting.

He was also arrested in 2007 at the age of 17 for his alleged involvement in the shooting of a man in Fall River. At the time of that arrest, he also had warrants out for his arrest on charges of larceny from a building, defacing property and breaking and entering a building in the nighttime for a felony, according to a Herald News article at the time.

Say now faces charges of carrying a high-capacity firearm, possession of ammunition, and resisting arrest.

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The second incident occurred at around 11 p.m., when police in the South End were dispatched to the area of Cove Street and Rodney French Boulevard for an incident of shots fired.

Officer Michael Doyle responded and located the suspect, who police said then fled on foot. Officer Doyle chased him to a residence on South Second Street, where police said the suspect was stopped and “it was discovered that he had concealed a loaded Glock 22 handgun in a bag of potting soil.”

Police said officers also discovered two spent shell casings in the area where the shots were reportedly fired.

Wilber Alvarado, 22, of New Bedford was arrested and police said he was found in possession of two baggies of crack cocaine.

Alvarado is charged with disorderly conduct, possession of a high-capacity firearm and ammunition without a license, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, and possession of a Class B substance.

Alvarado had previously been arrested in September 2019 in connection with an August 2019 shooting in the city’s West End in which a juvenile male sustained a gunshot wound to the leg and a second male sustained injuries from a bullet fragment that struck him in the eye.

“These are excellent examples of how effective the partnership between the police and the community can be," Police Chief Paul Oliveira said. "We give credit to the individuals who stepped up to provide the critical information necessary. It allowed us to take two firearms out of the hands of two individuals who have no business carrying them."

“These are also outstanding examples of our officers arriving on scene promptly, approaching dangerous subjects without hesitation, and placing themselves at great risk in the interest of public safety. I’m very proud of all the men and women of the NBPD," Oliveira said.

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