RAPID CITY, S.D. – Two juvenile males were arrested in Rapid City in the early morning hours of Monday after police located a loaded and illegally-shortened shotgun inside a vehicle following a gunshot investigation on the city’s north side.

At approximately 12:30 a.m. on May 19, Rapid City police were dispatched to the area of 600 Lindbergh Ave. after residents reported hearing gunshots in the area. Officers already in the vicinity also reported hearing the shots.

Upon arriving at the scene, officers began canvassing the area and located several spent shotgun shells. Shortly after, police observed two individuals wearing dark clothing enter a waiting passenger vehicle and drive away from the location.

Officers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle near the intersection of Holcomb Avenue and Anamosa Street. While speaking with the driver, officers observed two juvenile males seated in the back of the vehicle with a shotgun on the floor near their feet.

Officers instructed the juveniles to exit the vehicle, but both refused. Officers were forced to physically remove the males from the backseat as they continued to resist. Both juveniles were ultimately detained and placed in handcuffs.

Investigators determined both males were responsible for the earlier gunshot report. The shotgun was found to be loaded and illegally shortened.

Both juveniles have since been referred to the juvenile justice system. One of the males was on probation at the time of the incident, and the other was on parole.