Driver “drinking from a liquor bottle” arrested following traffic stop Tuesday morning; several guns recovered from vehicle

(Getty Images)

by: Emily Dwire

Posted: May 31, 2023 / 04:18 AM EDT

Updated: May 31, 2023 / 04:18 AM EDT

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – A man Fort Wayne Police say was driving with an open liquor bottle and several guns in the the car was taken into custody early Tuesday morning after a traffic stop near Reservoir Park south of downtown.

Fort Wayne Police say an officer on duty noticed a car weaving through traffic in the 2400 block of S. Clinton Street and going "notably under the speed limit." The officer pulled the driver over and approached his vehicle.

Upon contact with the driver, the officer saw he was drinking from a liquor bottle. The officer also spotted a handgun by the driver, according to police.

A release from the FWPD says the driver wanted to continue drinking, but the officer stopped him because he was possibly intoxicated and because of the weapon in the vehicle.

The officer asked the driver to step out of the car, but the driver refused prompting the officer to call for emergency assistance. Once backup arrived the driver was taken out of the car "by force due to his physical resistance."

Police eventually found three handguns, one of which was reported stolen, according to FWPD. The driver, identified as Rashad A. Jackson-Tatum, is also a convicted felon meaning he was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Jackson-Tatum was arrested and preliminarily charged with Unlawful Carrying of a Handgun-prior felony conviction w/in last 15 years, Theft of a Firearm, Resisting Law Enforcement: knowingly/intentionally forcibly resist/obstruct, and Driving while being Unlicensed.

The incident remains under investigation by the Fort Wayne Police Department and the Allen County Prosecutor's Office.

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.