2 formally charged for carrying machine guns inside Castleton Square Mall
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The two suspects who were arrested the day after Christmas for carrying handguns with machine gun conversion devices inside a shopping mall have been formally charged, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office announced on Tuesday.
Zachery Hunter, 18, faces charges of possession of a machine gun, obstruction of justice, resisting law enforcement, and possession of marijuana. Octavioius Reid, 19, faces charges of possession of a machine gun, escape, obstruction of justice, and resisting law enforcement.
According to court documents, on Dec. 26, officers were called to Von Maur, a clothing store inside Castleton Square Mall, on a report of potentially armed suspects inside the store. Castleton Square Mall is on 82nd Street between I-465 and I-69 on the city’s northeast side.
As officers approached the suspects, the suspects fled on foot into the parking lot. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department says that Reid was eventually taken into custody in the parking lot, and officers located Hunter inside a restroom at a nearby restaurant and was taken into custody.
Officers found a firearm inside the mall that was believed to have been dropped by Reid. A second firearm was discovered inside a trashcan in the restroom, where Hunter was taken into custody.
Court docs say that both guns had Glock switches, a small device that attaches to the rear of the handgun and converts it from semi-automatic to a fully automatic weapon and was reported stolen.
Marion County saw a dramatic spike in cases involving possession of a machine gun in 2023.
“This case serves as another example of why we advocated for Glock Switch legislation— to provide prosecutors and law enforcement with the tools to hold those accountable who are willing to possess machine guns,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears stated in a release. “While we continue to see the troubling trend of young people with access to these incredibly dangerous devices, our office remains committed to aggressively prosecuting these cases.”
