Juvenile on Probation Arrested With Loaded Handgun in Lewiston as Youth Violence Crisis Deepens

LEWISTON, Maine – Another juvenile has been arrested in Lewiston while allegedly carrying a loaded handgun, the latest incident fueling growing alarm over escalating youth violence and gun crime in Maine’s second-largest city.

According to Lewiston Police, officers on patrol shortly after 2 a.m. on June 5 encountered a juvenile on Webster Street who was allegedly violating the city’s curfew ordinance.

As officers began investigating, the juvenile fled on foot, police said. During the pursuit, officers observed the suspect throw away a .45-caliber handgun he had allegedly been carrying through the neighborhood.

Police were able to apprehend the 17-year-old male and recover the firearm.

Authorities said the juvenile was already on Juvenile Probation at the time of the arrest. He was transported to the Long Creek Youth Development Center, where he is currently being held.

The juvenile was charged with:

• Possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, Class C
• Falsifying physical evidence, Class D
• Carrying a concealed weapon, Class D
• Refusal to submit to arrest or detention, Class E
• Probation hold
• Curfew violation

Police said the teen had previously been charged with nearly a dozen crimes prior to this latest arrest, including multiple felony offenses.

Lewiston Police also thanked Juvenile Community Correction Officers for assisting in the case.

The arrest comes as residents across Lewiston continue voicing concerns over what many describe as a rapidly worsening pattern of gun violence involving juveniles and young adults.

In recent weeks, the city has seen a string of shootings involving teenagers, retaliatory gunfire incidents, and armed confrontations in residential neighborhoods. In May, a 14-year-old was shot in the leg near Avon Street. Days later, multiple juveniles were charged after bullets were fired into an occupied apartment during a retaliatory shooting on Pierce Street. Additional shootings near Ash and Howe streets resulted in felony arrests tied to groups allegedly exchanging gunfire in the city.

The surge in violence prompted a packed community anti-violence forum this week at Calvary Chapel in Lewiston, where residents, educators, clergy members, and community leaders gathered to discuss what many described as a crisis of children shooting children across the city. For many in attendance, the arrest of yet another armed juvenile already on probation only reinforced the growing fear that Lewiston’s youth violence problem is spiraling further out of control.