Police: Farebeater Caught With Gun At Times Square-42nd Street Subway Station

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Two NYPD officers found a gun on a man they busted for allegedly jumping a turnstile at the Times Square-42nd Street subway station this week.

NYPD Transit District One Field Training Officer Andrew Marino, and Officer Kristopher Charubin, were standing just beyond het turnstiles in the mezzanine area for the N, Q and R trains in the subway station around 6:50 p.m. Monday, police said.

They saw a man come up to the turnstiles, but instead of passing through, he paced back and forth and looked around for several minutes before finally jumping the turnstile, police said.

Marino and Charubin immediately stopped the man, and ran his name over a police radio, police said. They learned that he has been arrested before in the city's transit system and could not get away with just a ticket, police said.

The man was arrested at the scene without further incident, police said. While they were arresting the man, the officers found a .38 Derringer, loaded with two bullets, hidden in his underwear, police said.

The man – Dashawn Hines, 23 – was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, theft of service, and criminal trespass, police said. He has one prior arrest for grand larceny, police said.

Eight-year NYPD veteran Marino emphasized in a news release that the situation could have been much worse.

"He could have just taken the gun right out and started shooting. You never know," Marino said.