Armed teen arrested after Hazel Dell traffic stop

A 16-year-old boy was arrested and three firearms were recovered following a traffic stop Aug. 10 in Hazel Dell.

Clark County sheriff’s deputies were conducting a traffic enforcement emphasis operation when a deputy attempted to stop a sedan for an equipment violation. The driver refused to stop and started to speed away, before abruptly stopping and running from the car, according to a sheriff’s office news release. Several other people also ran from the car.

The deputy saw the driver place a firearm in his waistband while sprinting away. Another deputy detained the driver a short distance from the vehicle without incident. The driver no longer had the firearm, the agency said.

Deputies searched the area with help from a Vancouver Police Department K-9, and the handgun, with a 30-round extended magazine, was located. The sheriff’s office said the firearm appears to be illegally modified to be fully automatic.

The juvenile suspect, who was not named in the news release, was arrested on suspicion of attempting to elude and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was booked into the Clark County Juvenile Justice Center, according to the news release.

A search of the vehicle Tuesday yielded ballistic body armor and two additional handguns that were both reported stolen, one of them from a federal law enforcement agency, the sheriff’s office said.

The investigation is ongoing.