SPRINGFIELD — Springfield police have apprehended 26-year-old Daniel Mercado following a bar disturbance that escalated into gunfire early Thursday morning.
At around 1:40 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 400 block of Belmont Avenue after receiving reports of a commotion at a local bar.
Upon arrival, they heard gunshots and detected multiple activations from the city’s ShotSpotter system.
Authorities quickly obtained a description of a suspect vehicle and observed it being driven erratically.
The vehicle, operated by Mercado, subsequently crashed into a light pole on the 0-100 block of Pomona Street.
Mercado then fled on foot, during which police witnessed him armed with a firearm.
After a short chase, during which Mercado discarded an object and later threw a second item over a fence, he was unable to scale the barrier and officers took him into custody.
The discarded items were retrieved and identified as a firearm and a 10-round magazine.
Mercado, a Springfield resident, faces multiple charges, including carrying a loaded firearm without a license, possession of a defaced firearm during the commission of a felony, improper storage of a firearm, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident.
