Teen Falsely Reported A Man With Gun Twice, But Cops Say There Was A Twist Ending

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A Tennessee man, who police say may have been trying to provoke a confrontation, has been accused of falsely reporting a man with a gun.

The bizarre case came to a close on Wednesday, when the New Rochelle Police Department arrested 19-year-old Mikail Trinidad, on two counts of second-degree falsely reporting an incident. The Nashville man was also arrested on an outstanding warrant from New Jersey for a similar offense, police said.

On May 12, just before 11 p.m., officers responded to a report of a man with a gun at North Avenue and Lockwood Avenue. The anonymous caller claimed the man had concealed a firearm in a fanny pack. When officers stopped a man matching the description in front of a Dollar Tree store, however, he was recognized as the same person stopped on April 8, for a similar report.

In both instances, the man consented to a search, which yielded no weapons. He refused to provide identifying information to officers during both encounters, police said.

Investigators say the man police encountered was on his phone at the time of the 911 calls in both incidents. The caller claimed to be following the "man with a gun," but the person matching the description given was alone when stopped.

Attempts by police to contact the anonymous caller were unsuccessful once the man matching the description was detained.

Police say that evidence suggests that Trinidad may have been making the 911 calls himself or coordinating with another individual to provoke a police response.

Trinidad has a history of similar behavior, according to the New Rochelle Police Department.

"The New Rochelle Police Department is committed to ensuring public safety and addressing misuse of emergency services," NRPD said in a statement. "Falsely reporting incidents diverts critical resources from genuine emergencies and endangers the community. We encourage the public to report suspicious activity responsibly."