CENTRALIA – A 16-year-old juvenile male has been charged after leading Centralia Police on a chase following a report of a male attempting to break into vehicles on the parking lot at Lamplight Apartments on Fairway Drive.

Police say this happened shortly after 3 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7.

When police arrived they spoke to the caller who gave an excellent description of the suspect, and that description was given out to officers in the area. An officer located a subject in the area on a bicycle on McCord at Bel-Air. The subject was riding a bicycle without a front light and riding on the wrong side of the roadway. The officer attempted to make contact with the male, but the male refused to stop and attempted to flee the officer turning north onto Blackberry Run from McCord.

The male rode the bicycle in between houses, dumped the bicycle and ran on foot westbound towards the Community Church of Christ located at 1800 East McCord. The male fell face first and an object fell from the male’s body. The male then started running back eastbound towards Blackberry Run from the church. Officers chased the male on foot, when he was tackled, taken to the ground, and secured in handcuffs. The male was identified as a 16-year-old male from Centralia. Officers backtracked the area of the chase and where the male fell. A loaded 9mm Smith and Wesson handgun with a “drum-style” magazine capable of holding a large amount of ammunition.

The juvenile was positively identified by the caller as the suspect attempting to enter vehicles in the Lamplight Apartments parking lot. The juvenile along with the firearm were transported to the station for further processing.

The juvenile was charged with Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Possession of a Firearm without a FOID, Flee/Eluding Police, Resisting a Peace Officer, Curfew, No Mounted Bicycle Light, and Improper Lane Usage on a Bicycle

The Marion County Probation Department was contacted and advised the juvenile qualified for detainment but a bed was not available. A family member was contacted. The juvenile was given a Notice to Appear and was released.

The Centralia Police Department has noticed a troubling trend in juvenile detentions not being held because of the lack of juvenile beds available. Earlier this year the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center was closed so the probation department is having serious issues finding a detention center for the detainable violators.