Bystanders, Fall River Police combine to arrest man accused of walking around armed with a pistol, wearing a mask

Thanks to the quick thinking and bravery of community members, a Fall River man has been arrested and is in custody.

According to police, on Sunday, Patrol Bureau responded to the 100 block of Stafford Road for a report of a male who was walking around armed with a pistol while wearing a mask. Officers arrived and began canvassing the area. The male was spotted and began running through backyards of the neighborhood eventually being subdued by a resident on Cambridge Street.

25-year-old Neftaly Arroyo-Gomez was found to be in possession of a loaded glock handgun modified with a switch device which makes the handgun fully automatic, classifying it as a machine gun under law.

Arroyo-Gomez was charged with Unlawful Possession of a Machine Gun, Unlawful Possession of a Machine Gun (loaded), Unlawful Possession of a Large Capacity Firearm, Carrying a Firearm without a LTC (2nd off), Carrying a Loaded Firearm without a LTC (2nd off), and Vandalize Property.

At Monday’s arraignment, Arroyo-Gomez was held without bail after pleading not guilty.

FRPD extended their heartfelt gratitude to the citizens who acted swiftly to call the police and notify them and the citizen who subdued the suspect and the other citizens who assisted officers in locating the firearm, which the suspect attempted to discard.

Arroyo-Gomez has a probable cause hearing scheduled for January 7th.