Police Arrest Man with Loaded, Stolen Semi-automatic Pistol in East Hampton Village

After a store clerk reported someone trying to use fraudulent travelers checks on Wednesday,  arrested a man they said had a loaded semi-automatic pistol that had been stolen.

Ryan Kingston, 22, of Brooklyn, allegedly had a 25 caliber semi-automatic pistol on him when he was apprehended on Main Street, across from the ,  at about 4:15 p.m, according Sgt. Matt Bennett. There were five rounds of ammunition in the gun, he added.

The gun has been confirmed stolen, Bennett said. It was traced to Alabama as one of 400 weapons stolen from an individual collector. "How this kid ended up with it, we don't know," he said. "He said he found it in the bathroom at Polo."

The investigation began when a clerk at phoned Officer Jack Bartelme, who often works with local shops to combat shoplifting, to report suspicious shoppers at the store around 4 p.m. The men had tried to pass fraudulent American Express traveler's checks for a purchase.

"The store clerk realized that the check did not have a watermark and she refused to take it," Chief Jerry Larsen said. The clerk told the officer they had seen these men shopping there before, he said. After the call, "Detectives flew down there."

Police staked out Rugby and saw Kingston leave the store alone, walk across Main Street, and into the , according to Bennett. There, he tried to exchange merchandise that had come from another store, but the clerks refused. When he left Polo, he walked toward Newtown Lane, Bennett said. That's when officers surprised him.

"He was patted down for the officers safety," Bennett said. "It was found that he had a loaded 25 califber semi-automatic weapon on him. He didn't try to hide it or use it or anything. He admitted to it." He said it was "a plus" that Kingston didn't know the officers were watching him.

Meanwhile, Peter Martinez, 22, and Leon Kirby, 19, both also of Brooklyn --  the two other men Kingston had been with at Rugby --  left that store and got into a parked Dodge Charger. They drove off, headed west, Bennett said. "They might have surmised it," he said of Kingston's arrest. "We're not sure."

Due to the traffic volume at that time of day, police weren't able to follow them, he said. However, as luck would have it, one of the men in the car lost their identification and phoned Rugby to see if it had been found. Police were with the managers at the time, and told them to tell the caller they did in fact find the identification and to come back for it. The reportedly lost ID was never found.

At about 4:50 p.m., the men came back into East Hampton Village. As the Dodge approached the traffic light on Main Street, near , a marked unit pulled them over, and the men were taken into custody.

Over $700 worth of clothing that had been stolen from Rugby was recovered in the vehicle, Bennett said.

A backpack with screw drivers, large plumbing wrenches, and some type of gel was also discovered, leading to a charge of possession of burglar tools. Also in the backpack was a "huge magnet, bigger than a hockey puck, that's used to demagnatize security devices," Bennett said. They were additionally charged with possesion of an anti-security device. Both charges are misdemeanors.

All three men were charged with felony possession of a forged instrument, and two misdemeanors -- petty larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.

Kingston was also charged with possession of a loaded firearm and possession of stolen property, both felonies.

Larsen said he is proud of the "great work" the officers did. "This is community policing, the foundation of good police work."

"Officer Bartelme was instrumental," Larsen continued. "He gets out and talks to these people at the stores." Bennett added that the managers and clerks were highly cooperative and helpful.

The defendants were held overnight for arraignment in .

This story will be updated as more information on the defendants' arraignments when it becomes available.