(Michigan City, IN) - Another juvenile allegedly caught with a gun in Michigan City has been charged as an adult.

 

The latest case involves a 17-year-old boy with a prior firearms-related offense in juvenile court, allegedly having a handgun converted so as to be able to fire it like a machine gun.

 

La Porte County Prosecutor Sean Fagan said his more aggressive stance in recent months is aimed at helping to reduce gun violence among youth in Michigan City.

 

“We can’t deal with everything involving youth and guns, but we can at least make a small step. This is part of that small step,” he said.

 

Brandon Haynes has been charged in La Porte Superior Court 1 with Dangerous Possession of a Firearm and Possession of a Machine Gun, both Level 5 felonies.

 

According to court documents, on April 19th Haynes was a passenger in a vehicle being followed by police, due to suspicious activity in a known drug neighborhood, to a gas station at 1204 Franklin St.

 

Another young person in the vehicle took off running and, during a foot chase, dropped the gun he was carrying in his hand. Per authorities, the gun belonged to Haynes, who was adjudicated in juvenile court for Dangerous Possession of a Firearm in 2022.

 

Haynes could face anywhere from a one-year to six-year sentence on each count.