AMHERST — A Chicopee man in possession of a loaded handgun was arrested early Sunday morning after initially causing issues outside the downtown bars and then fleeing in a vehicle with its headlights turned off, according to Amherst Police.
Lenin Diaz, 21, was arrested at 2:41 a.m. on Northampton Road on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle to endanger, operating a motor vehicle without headlights and carrying a firearm while intoxicated, said Amherst Detective Nicholas Chandler.
Diaz has a firearms identification card and is properly licensed to have the 9 mm Ruger pistol that was in his possession, Chandler said. The handgun was located inside a bag that also allegedly contained marijuana, according to police.
The arrest of Diaz came as Amherst’s population during the Labor Day weekend swelled with the return of college students.
Police saw a surge in service calls, which at 288 was more than twice the number of the previous weekend, including Fridays.
During the last full weekend in August, police handled 125 calls for service.
Many of the calls related to college-age people consuming or carrying alcohol on public ways, including in the area of Phillips Street, Nutting Avenue, Fearing Street and Sunset Avenue.
Over Labor Day weekend, police arrested two people for being minors in possession of alcohol and violating the town’s open container bylaw, and they issued 14 citations and 12 warnings for similar alcohol-related offenses. Each citation carries a $300 fine.
Despite several noise complaints, police issued only one $300 ticket for a violation of the noise bylaw, which went to Gray Street residents Monday at 12:54 a.m. after the tenants refused to clear out guests in a timely manner.
Police also summoned to court a 22-year-old Hyde Park man on a charge of disorderly conduct after he was observed urinating behind a downtown restaurant at 1:41 a.m. Sunday.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
