A 43-year-old Cleveland man was arrested Nov. 22 on felony offenses after reportedly throwing a handgun and narcotics out of his vehicle while a North Olmsted police officer attempted to pull him over.
Buck Lunsford, of the 3000 block of Chestnutdale Avenue, was charged with tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony; weapons under disability, a third-degree felony; and felony possession of a controlled substance, according to a North Olmsted Police Department report.
Lunsford also received misdemeanor citations for speed and not wearing a seatbelt, the report stated.
The officer was patrolling just before midnight westbound on Interstate 480 near Stearns Road, when Lunsford was observed speeding and not wearing his seatbelt in a 1998 Oldsmobile, the report stated.
The officer initiated the cruiser’s emergency lights and sirens, however, Lunsford continued driving for about one mile before stopping his vehicle.
Meanwhile, as Lunsford continued to travel west, the officer “observed Buck throw a black object out of the driver’s side window, it appeared to be a handgun and it sparked when it hit the roadway,” the report stated.
The officer also saw Lunsford “throw a small plastic baggy that appeared to be narcotics out the driver’s window,” the report stated.
Once Lunsford stopped the Oldsmobile, he was arrested and placed in the cruiser. North Ridgeville police arrived on scene.
The North Olmsted police officer recovered a handgun, a Ruger LCO II, and rounds that were scattered on the interstate, according to the report.
The officer noted it appeared the gun had been run over, the report stated.
The officer also located the small plastic bag Lunsford allegedly threw out the window containing more than two grams of dextroamphetamine-amphetamine and more than four grams of Xanax, the report stated.
The officers seized approximately $1,200 in cash from Lunsford’s wallet, the report stated.
Lunsford was transported to North Olmsted Jail, and the vehicle was towed from the scene.
Lunsford is scheduled to appear in Rocky River Municipal Court on Dec. 5, the report stated.
