BOSTON — What was supposed to be a summer celebration turned into a police nightmare.
On Saturday, August 23, Boston Police pulled 11 loaded firearms off the streets in a single day — many of them in the middle of the Caribbean Carnival crowds.

Wu calls Boston “the safest city in the country.” But as teens as young as 15 fought officers, clutched backpacks stuffed with Glocks, and even opened fire in Harambee Park, the city looked less like a festival and more like a combat zone.

Gun chaos spreads across the city

The day began in Dorchester around 10 AM, when 21-year-old Xavier Mabine sprinted from police and was caught with a KelTec pistol loaded with 10 rounds.

By 1 PM in Roxbury, officers tackled a 15-year-old dressed in black, finding a Girsan MC28 pistol with its serial number obliterated.

At 1:30 PM in Mattapan, two more young men were pulled off the steps of a house they didn’t live in — one carrying a Polymer-80 ghost gun with a laser and extended clip, the other a Glock with 17-round capacity.

Carnival crowds mask armed teens

The violence escalated at the Caribbean Carnival itself.

• 5 PM — A backpack tossed behind Hewins Street contained not one but two Glocks, each fitted with illegal “switches” to fire fully automatic, plus high-capacity magazines.
• 5:10 PM — Officers nabbed Rodney Dooley-Blue, 20, of Roxbury, after spotting a stolen Sig Sauer P938 in his crossbody bag.
• 5:20 PM — Another suspect, Corey Robinson, 22, bolted down Columbia Road before discarding a Glock 19 with a 23-round mag.
• 5:27 PM — A 16-year-old was dragged down in front of 632 Blue Hill Ave, cops pulling a Smith & Wesson M&P with 15 rounds from his backpack.

Shootout in Harambee Park

As the sun set, chaos erupted.

At 7:55 PM, gunshots rang out at Harambee Park near the basketball courts. Police say a 15-year-old fired into a crowd, injuring another person. When his moped wouldn’t start, he ran — only to be tackled as his Glock 26 with an extended 24-round mag fell from his waistband.

The teen now faces charges of assault and battery with a firearm, unlawful possession, and discharging a gun within 500 feet of a building.

Wu’s “safe city” claim crumbles

Mayor Wu insists Boston is safe. But Saturday’s sweep paints a different picture: juveniles armed with military-style pistols, ghost guns, and machine-gun switches flooding city streets and neighborhood festivals.

The 11 recovered firearms included extended magazines, laser sights, and modifications capable of full auto fire. Officers reported violent struggles with suspects, frantic foot chases, and crowds forming around arrests.

Gun seizures show Boston’s youth crime crisis spinning out of control

In the span of one Saturday, Boston Police were forced to rip a dozen guns from the hands of teens and young men.

Wu may call Boston “the safest city in the country,” but to residents who lived through the chaos of the Caribbean Carnival, the claim sounds like a dangerous lie.