Contact: Beth Stone 508-584-8120
BROCKTON – Two Brockton men awaiting trial on gun charges were arrested after one man posted himself on Snapchat with a loaded gun, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.
During the month of July, members of the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit conducted an investigation into the unlawful possession of firearms in the city of Brockton. As part of the investigation, troopers observed a recent Snapchat video post on an account belonging to Syncere Lindsay, 19, of Brockton. In the video post, Lindsay is seen handling and loading a handgun. The physical characteristics of the gun and ammunition indicated that it was a functioning firearm. Further investigation revealed that Lindsay did not possess a License to Carry, or Firearm ID card.
A Massachusetts Board of Probation query found that Lindsay currently had an open firearms possession case out of Brockton District Court. Pre-trial conditions of Lindsay’s release include GPS monitoring and adhering to a curfew. Investigators determined through Lindsay’s GPS coordinates that he was at his Brockton apartment at the time that the Snapchat gun video post was recorded.
Yesterday, Massachusetts State Police sought and obtained a search warrant for Lindsay’s residence at 280 North Warren Avenue. This morning at 6 a.m., the Massachusetts State Police STOP Team executed the search warrant without incident. After the residence was secured, members of MSP Gang Unit, MSP-CINRET South, the MSP Detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, and Brockton Police searched the residence. In a basement bedroom where Lindsay and Anjel Nieves, 18, were located, investigators found a loaded Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun. Nieves and Lindsay were both placed under arrest.
At their arraignment today in Brockton District Court, both men pleaded not guilty to one count each of Possession of a Firearm, Possession of Ammunition, and Possession of a Large Capacity Feeding Device. Both Lindsay and Nieves had their bails revoked and bail was set at $10,000. The men were ordered to stay away and have no contact with each other.
Both men are expected back in court on August 23, 2023.