STATEN ISLAND — A man convicted of gun possession told police he had been taking the weapon to an NYPD precinct to surrender it — even though he was in a cab headed to a destination nowhere near a precinct, Staten Island's District Attorney said.
Kevin Watson, 34, was convicted of criminal possession of a weapon after a week-long trial on Monday for the Oct. 2013 incident, Acting District Attorney Daniel Master Jr. announced.
"This defendant used the existence of a gun surrender program as an excuse for breaking the law and possessing an illegal, loaded and deadly firearm," Master said in a statement.
"Once caught red-handed, he made a number of self-serving statements in a desperate bid to avoid being arrested."
Watson was in a cab on Oct. 26, 2013, when he was stopped by police for a traffic violation in front of 114 Victory Blvd. Officers noticed the butt of a gun on Watson's waist, prosecutors said.
Watson claimed, "I have a license for it," "I'm bringing it to the precinct," and "Call my mom, she works for you guys," prosecutors said.
The license Watson had was for a different gun and while his mother-in-law works as an administrative aide for the 120th Precinct, she wasn't working the day he was arrested, prosecutors said.
Watson had also told the cab driver to take him to Victory Boulevard and Bay Street — half a mile away from the closest precinct.
Police recovered photos from Watson's cellphone showing him with the gun as early as July 9, 2013, prosecutors said.
Under the city's legal gun surrender program, the firearm must be secured in a bag or box on its way to be turned in. Watson's gun was inside a holster attached to his hip — and it was loaded with one bullet in the chamber, with another 11 in the magazine, prosecutors said.
Watson faces between 3 1/2 years to 15 years in prison for the conviction. He's scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 7.
