Two guns, almost 30 rounds of ammunition recovered in St. Catharines

Niagara Regional Police recovered two hand guns and 27 rounds of ammunition in St. Catharines over the weekend after two unrelated incidents.

The first incident happened at a nightclub in the area of Ontario St. and Saint Paul St. shortly before 1:30 a.m. in the early hours of Sunday morning.

A security guard working inside the nightclub spotted a man with what appeared to be a handgun in his waistband. The security guard acted and gained physical control of the gun, causing the suspect to flee on foot.

Members of the nightclub’s security briefly followed on foot before reporting their pursuit to police.

Officers were able to locate the suspect a short distance away and arrest him. Police say the gun recovered at the nightclub was loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition.

Maxwell Ali Grant, 20, of St. Catharines has been charged with seven separate offences including carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a weapon, and resisting arrest.

Grant attended the John Sopinka Courthouse in Hamilton on Saturday and has been remanded into the custody of Ontario Correctional Services.

The second gun was recovered less than an hour later at the dead end of Kent St. near Hillview Rd. North.

Members of the OPP notified Niagara police of a speeding driver they had attempted to stop on the Queen Elizabeth Way near Victoria Ave. Officers pursued the speeding driver down the dead end road until he exited the vehicle and fled on foot.

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Police engaged in a foot pursuit through neighbouring backyards and observed the suspect drop what appeared to be a handgun.

The fleeing driver was ultimately caught by pursuing officers and arrested. A loaded handgun was recovered and police say it was loaded with an extended magazine with 16 rounds of ammunition.

Antonio Sedeno Charles, 35, of St. Catharines has been charged with careless storage of a firearm, flight from a peace officer, and possession of a restricted or prohibited firearm, among many other charges.

Charles attended the John Sopinka Courthouse in Hamilton on Sunday and has been remanded into the custody of Ontario Correctional Services.

Anyone with information regarding either of these incidents is encouraged to contact the 1 District Detective Criminal Investigative Branch by dialing 905-688-4111, option 3, ext. 1024233.