POUGHKEEPSIE – A 23-year-old Poughkeepsie city resident is in police custody after he was caught with a loaded 9mm “Uzi” type handgun, Police Captain Richard Wilson said. The man, identified as Maceo Lewis, was caught after a foot pursuit and physical struggle with police in the vicinity of a school where children were on the playground.
According to Wilson, 911 dispatchers received a call at 11:38 a.m. from the security office at 22 Montgomery Street. The caller told the dispatcher that a man had just menaced the guard with an “Uzi” type handgun. Officers and detectives responded to the area in an attempt to locate the subject.
A short time later a detective spotted the man in the vicinity of Delafield and Spruce Streets. The detective attempted to confront him, but he fled on foot heading south on Delafield Street. Numerous officers and detectives converged on the area near Hoffman Avenue and Delafield Street next to the Astor School, where they physically struggled with Lewis before being able to take him into custody. A weapon matching the caller’s description was recovered on him.
Captain Wilson credited the staff at the Astor School for their swift actions in securing the pre-school and elementary-aged children in the building as the incident was taking place. “The staff quickly secured the children in the building and placed the facility on lockdown. Their quick thinking and execution of the important safety protocols related to school safety worked flawlessly,” said Wilson. The school’s lockdown/lockout was lifted with the assistance of police when the scene was secured. No children or staff at Astor were injured during the incident.
Lewis is being held pending arraignment on two counts of criminal possession of a weapon for the Masterpiece Arms 9mm pistol with a loaded 30 round magazine, both of which are felonies. He is also charged with the misdemeanor of menacing.
Captain Wilson indicated that his department has had previous contacts with Lewis and he is a person of interest in other investigations.
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