4 in custody after GRPD finds multiple illegally-possessed guns

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Officers found a number of illegally-possessed weapons after a report of a suspicious vehicle in Grand Rapids Thursday night.

Around 8 p.m., officers with the Grand Rapids Police Department were sent to the area of Beulah Street SE near Lafayette Avenue SE after receiving reports about a suspicious vehicle.

When responding officers went up to the vehicle, three of the five people exited without incident. The other two ran off. A police dog was called to the scene and a Michigan State Police helicopter helped track them.

Eventually one woman and three men were taken into custody, GRPD said.

Two rifles, three handguns, several loaded magazines, a large amount of ammunition and a machete were found.

"We are very thankful that an alert person called the police," Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said in a release. "While we can't know the intentions of these individuals, we do know the firearms were not legally possessed. We all share the responsibility of keeping our community safe and because this caller spoke up, multiple illegally-possessed firearms are off our streets."

Anyone with information is asked to call GRPD detectives at 616.456.3380 or Silent Observer at 616.774.2345.

The case remains under investigation.