Arrest, gun recovered outside nightclub

On February 6th at approximately 1:50 A.M., West Precinct officers were monitoring the closing of a bar in the 100 Block of Blanchard Street.  A witness approached the officers and informed them that a man sitting in a car nearby had a handgun in his lap.  The officers quickly located the car and stopped the car in the alley.  Officers were able to take the three occupants into custody safely.  A .45 caliber handgun was located inside the car.  The two passengers were interviewed and later released, while the suspect, a 26 year-old male, was booked into the King County Jail for Unlawful Possession and Unlawful Use of  Weapon.  This arrest occurred just as the nightclubs and bars were letting out, so there was a large crowd of onlookers.  It took additional officers to respond to the scene, but order was quickly restored and there were no further incidents.