Troy Police Want Witnesses to Gun Brandishing on I-75

Troy, MI — Troy police said four guns, more than 100 rounds of ammunition and an open bottle of vodka were among the items found in a vehicle they pulled over Saturday after another driver said the motorist was waving firearms out the window of a red Ford Edge.

Police stopped the vehicle on southbound Interstate 75 near Crooks Road at 8:20 p.m. Saturday. The driver was reportedly pointing a handgun out the window, and the passenger brandished a semi-automatic weapon, according to a news release.

The guns — a Glock 17 handgun with a 30-round magazine, a Ruger 2R9c pistol, a Draco 39 mm pistol with a drum barrel containing 59 rounds of ammunition and a second Draco 39 mm pistol with a 30-round magazine — were legally registered to four occupants of the SUV, who had concealed pistol licenses, according to a police statement.

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That’s more ammunition than police officers carry, Troy Police Capt. Robert Redmond told CBS Detroit.

“It’s ridiculous,” Redmond said. “When you can have a gun that carries more ammunition than I can carry as a police officer, it becomes ridiculous.”

It’s unclear if the four occupants of the vehicle, all residents of Flint and all CPL holders, were pointing the guns at individuals or simply brandishing them. 

Though the firearms were legal, the men’s actions were “a brazen example of irresponsible gun ownership,” police said in the news release that urged all legal gun owners to evaluate their behavior when handling firearms.

“Why do you have to — if you’re driving your car down the road — why is it necessary to show people that you have it? ... What point are you trying to make? Should it be legal, and is it legal?”

— Troy Police Capt. Robert Redmond

Brandishing firearms — or even simply possessing one — is illegal while alcohol and drugs are consumed.
Police want witnesses who may have information to call (248) 524-3477.

“At this point, there is no victim,” Redmond told CBS Local. “That’s why we’re looking for another witness.”

Redmond expressed frustration that brandishing a weapon isn’t a crime.

“Why do you have to — if you’re driving your car down the road — why is it necessary to show people that you have it? What’s the point? What point are you trying to make?” Redmond said. “Should it be legal, and is it legal?”

Image credit: Troy Police