TORONTO, Ont. – A Toronto teenager faces a string of gun-related charges after Toronto police discovered a loaded handgun Sunday.

Police officers with the Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy (TAVIS) unit were patrolling the downtown core when they noted a group in a laneway near Yonge Street and Gould Street, police said.

The officers approached the group and “noted a boy exhibiting characteristics of
an armed person,” according to a police statement.

A search uncovered a loaded 9mm handgun, police said.

A 16-year-old boy — who cannot be named under the provisions of the Youth Justice Criminal Act — faces a slew of gun-related charges, including unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition and possession of firearm obtained by the commission of an offence.

The Special Investigations Unit is probing the incident after the boy sustained a fractured jaw, the police watchdog said in a tweet Monday afternoon.

The SIU investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.