RESERVE — Five juveniles were arrested Tuesday and two guns were confiscated after a St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy said he saw a teenager with the group drop a handgun behind a tree.

St. John Parish Mike Tregre said the incident began while a deputy was on criminal patrol at 3:31 p.m. Tuesday in the 8800 block of Houma Drive in Reserve. The deputy said while on patrol he saw one of six male juveniles walking down the street discard a weapon.

“As the deputy walked toward the group, it appeared to the deputy that another juvenile grabbed a handgun from his waistband,” Tregre said in a release. “For his safety, the deputy stepped back and began to draw his service weapon, and all the juveniles fled on foot.”

Tregre said the deputy recovered two handguns from behind the tree.

“After a foot pursuit through the neighborhood, the deputy and assisting deputies apprehended four of the six juveniles and transported them to the Criminal Investigations Division for the investigation,” Tregre said, adding a fifth juvenile turned himself in to detectives at the Sheriff’s Office.

The five juveniles were arrested and booked with various charges before they were transported to the Assumption Parish Juvenile Detention Center.

One 15-year-old juvenile was booked with flight from an officer and illegal possession of a handgun by a juvenile.

Authorities said he was also booked on warrants for simple criminal damage to property under $500 and simple burglary of an immovable structure in connection with an unrelated investigation.

One 14-year-old male, two 15-year-old males and one 16-year-old male were each booked with one count of flight from an officer and one count of illegal possession of a handgun by a juvenile.

Sgt. Dane Clement said the investigation remains open and a sixth juvenile remains at large.