New Bedford Man Arrested for Possession of ‘Ghost’ Gun

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — A New Bedford man with a long history of criminal arraignments was arrested recently on weapons charges following a disturbance in the city’s South End.

According to New Bedford Police, officers responded on July 7 to an area of David Street and Salisbury Street regarding a man with a firearm. Police said Officer James Sullivan arrived to find the man reaching into a cross-body bag he was wearing, which he quickly tossed to the ground once Officer Sullivan attempted to engage him.

As Officer Sullivan attempted to secure him, the man pushed himself free and tried to flee from the scene. Police said he was eventually taken into custody with the help of a good Samaritan. Police said the suspect was then identified as Marcell Goncalves, 27, of New Bedford.

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According to police, Goncalves allegedly had a pair of brass knuckles and a knife in his possession, and then in the bag he tossed, police found a P80 Polymer “ghost” gun with no serial number, loaded with 12 rounds of 9mm ammunition.

Goncalves was arrested and charged with multiple offenses including carrying a large-capacity loaded firearm without a license, assault with a dangerous weapon, resisting arrest, and possession of a firearm without a serial number.

Goncalves has a previous conviction for possession of a firearm stemming from a case in 2018, as well as an open case for possession of a high-capacity feeding device from an incident in April 2024.

Police said Goncalves also has 19 adult arraignments, with 13 dismissals at court. He is currently being held without bail at the Bristol County House of Correction in Dartmouth.