A Washington, D.C., man was arrested on a gun charge after a traffic stop in downtown Silver Spring, according to a Montgomery County police statement.
Kriss Smith, 26, of the 2600 block of Q Street in Southeast, Washington, D.C., posted a $2,000 bond and was released, according to online court records.
About 12:19 a.m. Saturday, Silver Spring police district officers conducted a stop of a vehicle for a traffic offense on Georgia Avenue at Spring Street, the statement said.
Officers identified Smith as the driver of the vehicle and upon speaking with Smith, immediately detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside his vehicle, police said.
Officers then asked Smith to leave his car. Instead of exiting, Smith accelerated his vehicle and fled on Spring Street toward 2nd Avenue, police said.
Smith left his car and fled, and officers caught him a short distance from Spring Street, police said.
Officers found a loaded Taurus .380 handgun, attributed to Smith, near where he was arrested.
Smith was taken to the Central Processing Unit where he was charged with:
- Separate charges of possessing a handgun in his vehicle and on his person. If these are first offenses, the misdemeanors carry maximum penalties of 30 days in jail. If these are subsequent offenses, the charges carry three years in prison. Fines can range from $250 to $2,500.
- Carrying a concealed dangerous weapon, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison. The maximum fine is $1,000.
He is also charged with failure to comply to a policeman’s order, a common law charge.