A Wildwood woman was arrested after an officer found a firearm in her possession during a Lyft ride to a party.
An officer observed a 2018 Mazda UT make a right-hand turn off Harlem Avenue onto Tuskegee Street without using a signal around 12 a.m. Saturday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. He caught up to the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop near Waitman Avenue. He also observed the vehicle had only one working tag light which did not illuminate the license plate from 50ft away, the report said.
Upon approaching the vehicle, the officer spoke with the driver and the backseat passenger, later identified as 30-year-old Echo Renee Broom. The driver advised that he drove for Lyft, and he picked up Broom about 15 minutes ago to bring her to a party in the area. He was very cooperative with law enforcement, the report said.
While the officer finished a written warning for the traffic infraction, a K-9 unit arrived on scene to conduct a free-air sniff around the outside of the vehicle. Broom began acting very obnoxious, yelling at the driver and officers. She was visibly very upset that a traffic stop had happened and berated the driver for the infraction, the report said.
Broom refused to cooperate with officers when asked simple questions or to answer why she was so upset. When asked to step out of the vehicle, she continued to yell in the direction of the driver and officers. She was then brough to the front of a patrol car where she was asked why she was so upset and uncooperative. She replied that she was a convicted felon, the report said.
As the K-9 sniffed around the vehicle, it alerted near the backseat where Broom had been seated. A search of the area revealed a black semiautomatic 9mm handgun under the front passenger seat in very close proximity to where her feet were. Officers confirmed that it was physically impossible for a firearm to slide from the front passenger compartment to the back because it did not have enough room, the report said.
The report noted Broom had a backpack right between her legs while she was seated in the vehicle, which was opened at the time of the traffic stop. She admitted to the backpack and its contents being hers.
Upon further investigation, the officer could not find a serial number or unique markings on the firearm to confirm its manufacturer or identity. It had parts consistent with a Glock semiautomatic handgun but no identifying features. It appeared to be a ghost gun, which is a firearm that lacks a serial number and is typically assembled by multiple purchased or homemade parts, making it untraceable, the report said.
The firearm was loaded with one magazine containing 17 silver Sig hollow-point 9mm rounds. Dispatch was unable to identify any information on the firearm with information given by officers. The lower of the gun was a Polymer80 grip, the report said.
The driver stated he checked his vehicle after every ride and had no reason to believe there was anything unordinary in the vehicle. He stopped at McDonald’s in Wildwood directly before picking up Broom. He checked the vehicle, including the backseat compartment, for any lost or left items before vacuuming his vehicle. The firearm was not inside, the report said.
The firearm was determined to belong to Broom who was subsequently handcuffed and placed in the back of a patrol vehicle. While on the way to the LPD’s booking facility, she continued to act irate, yelling loudly and ferociously banging her head against the window behind the officer’s seat, the report said.
The officer pulled off to the side of the road and stepped out to inform Broom that she would have her legs restrained if she did not stop being uncooperative. She stated she wanted to go to LifeStream rather than jail, citing mental health issues. After speaking with her, she said she would cooperate with law enforcement if they agreed to take her directly to Lake County Jail for booking rather than the LPD, the report said.
Broom was charged with possess firearm/ammo by convicted felon and taken to jail. She was released after posting $10,000 bond.