A traffic stop at a Sprint Mart on Alabama Street has landed two men in custody and the Columbus Police Department on a chase to find another.
Silvanus Clay, 21, was arrested early Tuesday afternoon after he and two others were stopped by a CPD officer for running a red light on Alabama Street near the Cypress Park Apartments on South Lehmberg Road.
Police Chief Joseph Daughtry told The Dispatch once the vehicle pulled into a Sprint Mart at 730 Alabama St., a passenger fled on foot holding what officers believe to be a rifle. No shots were fired.
Officers held Clay and the driver at the scene until backup arrived from CPD and Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office. CPD searched the vehicle and found two handguns in Clay’s possession. He and the driver were taken into custody and Clay is charged with possession of a stolen weapon.
“One of the individuals just bailed,” Daughtry said. “(The officer) held the other two individuals in the car at gunpoint until his backup could arrive. He didn’t know what they had, but he did see the guy leave with something large that he believed to be a small rifle. But he was focused (on Clay and the driver) because he had so many moving parts going on at that time.”
Daughtry said CPD is searching for the other passenger in the area, but he declined to disclose his or the driver’s name at this time.
“We think we know who he is, but we’re going to put a little pressure on the other people (involved),” Daughtry said. “We are interviewing them.”
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