Baltimore police arrested a 36-year-old man Wednesday during a traffic stop after recovering a loaded handgun and drugs inside the vehicle.
Keith Gladden had a prior arrest record and was taken into custody for violating his probation by possessing a firearm. The seemingly uneventful arrest drew social media buzz after the Baltimore Police Department posted a photo of the gun on Facebook Thursday night.
Gladden's dated, duct-taped weapon appeared to come from the 1800s.
The gun was mocked mercilessly on Facebook and Twitter and received more than 45,000 comments by Monday morning.
Most of the thousands of comments called attention to the historic Gettysburgesque look of the confiscated weapon.
“This is the first gun you have access to in Grand Theft Auto: Gettysburg,” one person wrote.
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“I was under the impression that John Wilkes Booth was no longer alive,” another added.
The department even responded to some of the comments with quips of their own.
“If it pleases the court, we will ensure we safeguard this firearm and ensure the safety of all in the village of Lord Baltimore,” the police department wrote. “Whilst this young lad possessed this weapon illegally, his punishment shall not include that of public stoning nor shaming. He therefore shall be recommended as a candidate for reenactment just up the road in Gettysburg.”
