A Bridgeport man suspected of trafficking assault rifles and other guns has been arrested.
The statewide narcotics task force had an apartment on Hanover Street in Bridgeport under surveillance on Monday during an investigation into William Akeem Hooks, 29, of Bridgeport, and detectives saw him sell a GSG-522 .22 caliber rifle, according to a news release from state police. The gun, which had a pistol grip and silencer, is classified as an assault rifle
Detectives later saw Hooks leave his home and stopped his vehicle, with help from the Bridgeport Police Department.
When they arrested Hooks, police said they found him with one gram of crack cocaine, marijuana, and $1,320.
When detectives searched Hooks’ apartment, they seized a loaded Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 .22 caliber rifle with a high-capacity magazine that was reported stolen from Darlington County, South Carolina.
Police said they also seized a loaded Glock Model 26 9mm semi-automatic handgun with a high-capacity magazine, the GSG-522 .22 caliber rifle and Hooks’ 2005 Dodge Magnum.
Police said Hooks obtained the weapons from southern states along the East Coast and Troop G is holding them as evidence.
Local
The arrest comes a day after Connecticut lawmakers called on Congress to ban assault weapons after the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida that killed 49 people and wounded 50 others..
Authorities contacted the Department of Children and Families because two children were in the apartment and Hooks was transported to Troop G, where he was held on $500,000 bond.
Hooks was charged with illegal sale or transfer of an assault weapon, possession of narcotics, two counts of possession of an assault rifle, theft of a firearm and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.
He is due in Bridgeport Superior Court today.
