A traffic ticket led to much more serious trouble for a 19-year-old man driving on Chattanooga State Community College’s campus Wednesday.
A loaded weapon was found under the seat after college police officers stopped the man for speeding through campus.
Officers pulled over Malik Phillips, who is not a student at Chattanooga State, because Phillips was driving an SUV in and out of traffic and speeding in a 15-mph zone, according to court records.
Officers could smell marijuana as they approached the SUV around 8 p.m., an arresting officer wrote in the arrest affidavit. Police said Phillips told them he had the illegal weed in his pocket, and they found two bags with 2 grams of what appeared to be marijuana.
One officer placed Phillips in a patrol car while a second officer asked a passenger in the SUV – a 17-year-old male – to step out. Police said when they asked whether there was anything illegal in the car, Phillips told them that he had a gun hidden under the SUV’s passenger seat. Police reported they found a loaded Serbian AK 5.56 pistol – a variant of the AK-74 assault rifle – as well as a loaded .38 revolver in the middle console.
Investigators said they also found multiple empty plastic bags and a digital scale.
Phillips was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm with the intent to go armed, carrying weapons on school property, carrying drugs in a drug-free school zone, drugs for resale and other charges.
He was booked into the Hamilton County Jail and is being held on a $37,500 bond.
Nancy Patterson, vice president for college advancement and public relations, said Chattanooga State was aware of the arrest but declined to comment because of the ongoing investigation. She confirmed that neither person in the vehicle is enrolled at Chattanooga State.
Chattanooga police said they and investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are continuing to investigate Phillips and the juvenile.
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