14-year-old charged with pointing gun at mail carrier in Lowell

Tewksbury police arrested a 14-year-old Lowell boy for allegedly pointing a gun at a US Postal Service mail carrier on Tuesday.

Police identified the boy as the masked assailant who brandished a gun at the mailman shortly after 11 a.m. on Shawsheen Street in Tewksbury.

Police who responded to the scene said they saw the suspect speeding away in a vehicle on Whipple Road. Officers followed the car to Tomahawk Drive, where they saw the suspect jump out of the vehicle and flee on foot.

Police searched the area on Nightingale Lane, where a witness reported seeing the suspect. Multiple agencies responded to the area to assist in the search, including the Massachusetts State Police Airwing and the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council SWAT Team.

Investigators used drones and K-9s in the search but were unable to locate the suspect. But they did find a firearm behind a home on Grasshopper Lane, which police say belonged to the suspect.

Around 2 p.m. Thursday, after obtaining a warrant for his arrest, investigators located the teenager in Lowell and took him into custody.

The boy, who police did not identify because of his age, was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, receiving a stolen vehicle and possession of a weapon without a firearms identification card.

Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan Columbus said in a statement, “I want to thank our detectives and officers for their excellent work, which allowed us to make an arrest and close this case. I also want to thank the Lowell Police Department for their assistance.”