Michigan deputy initiates traffic stop for flat tire, arrests man on weapons charge
MT CLEMENS, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - A Macomb County deputy who was conducting a traffic stop for a vehicle's flat tire ended up arresting the passenger in the car on a weapons charge over the weekend.
According to the Macomb County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Cotton spotted a vehicle -- a 2015 black Chevy Impala -- traveling north at slow speed on N. Gratiot at about 1:50 a.m. on Sunday. Cotton reported hearing a loud noise sounding like a flat tire and initiated a traffic stop.
Authorities say the deputy saw three people in the vehicle and an open backpack on the floor of the front passenger seat. The passenger, identified as 21-year-old Xzavier Spraggins from Detroit, moved his leg, and Cotton spotted what appeared to be the rail of an AR-style weapon in the backpack.
The sheriff's office says a Diamondback AR pistol, a 30-round magazine, and more than 40 bullets were also found in the bag. Authorities say the pistol was legally purchased but was not registered.
Spraggins, who did not have a CPL on file, was taken into custody and charged with carrying a concealed weapon. He received an interim bond of $10,000.