14-year-old charged with pointing gun at mail carrier in Lowell

Tewksbury police arrested a 14-year-old Lowell boy for allegedly pointing a gun at a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier on Tuesday.

Police identified the boy as the masked assailant who brandished a gun at the mail carrier just after 11 a.m. on Shawsheen Street in Tewksbury.

Police who responded to the scene said they saw the suspect speed away in a vehicle on Whipple Road. Officers followed the car to Tomahawk Drive, where they saw the suspect jump out of the vehicle and escape on foot. 

Police searched the area of Nightingale Lane, where a witness reported seeing the suspect. Multiple agencies responded to the area to help with the search, including the Massachusetts State Police Airwing and the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council SWAT Team.

Investigators used drones and K-9s in the search but were unable to locate the suspect. However, they did recover a firearm behind a home on Grasshopper Lane, which police say belonged to the suspect. 

Around 2 p.m. Thursday, after getting an arrest warrant, investigators located the teenager in Lowell and took him into custody.

The boy, who police did not identify because of his age, was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, receiving a stolen vehicle, and possession of a gun without a firearms identification card. 

Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan Columbus said in a statement, “I want to thank our detectives and officers for their excellent work, which enabled us to make an arrest and close out this case. I also want to thank the Lowell Police Department for their assistance.”