Police smelled marijuana, then found a knife and gun on a man who ran from them, report says

A knife fell from a 26-year-old man’s pocket while being questioned by Myrtle Beach police early Wednesday, and he then fled their custody, according to a police report.

The suspect ran about 50 feet before falling face down and being scooped up by police, who then placed him in handcuffs, a report says.

Police were on patrol in area of 13th Avenue North when the smell of marijuana was noticed on the suspect on three others who were walking by, police said.

Authorities asked the suspect for his identification, and as he moved closer, police said the smell of marijuana became stronger.

The suspect told police he didn’t have marijuana on him and had just smoked it, the report states.

Officers told him not to put his hands inside his pockets, and when he pulled them out, a knife fell from them, authorities said.

The suspect then “became fidgety,” police said, and officers grabbed his arms and placed him under investigative detention.

The suspect broke free from police and took off at a run before falling to the ground. Police arrested him and that’s when he yelled out he had a gun in his pocket, authorities said.

Officers seized then the gun. The suspect told them he didn’t have a concealed weapon’s permit when officers asked him, the report states.

Police said a criminal background check revealed the suspect was convicted of second-degree burglary in the past and is not allowed to possess a gun, the report says.

Matthew Clayton Barber is charged with possessing a weapon, unlawful carry of a pistol, and resisting arrest, Myrtle Beach online jail records show.

Barber was being held at the Myrtle Beach Jail Wednesday morning where his bond had not been set, jail records show.

This story was originally published July 5, 2017 at 8:11 AM with the headline "Police smelled marijuana, then found a knife and gun on a man who ran from them, report says."