NEW YORK — An Ohio man was arrested Friday after he was found inside a Times Square subway station charging his cellphone with an assault rifle in plain view, police said.

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New York City police saw Saadiq Teague, 18, around 12:30 p.m. sitting on the ground while he charged his phone with an AK-47 rifle clearly visible, WABC reported.

Officers also found an AK-47 magazine loaded with 17 live rounds and another bullet loose inside a shopping bag next to him, WABC reported.

Teague said the gun is registered in Ohio and was not loaded, WABC reported. Officers said that Teague told them since the gun was registered and unloaded he believed his possession of it in the city was legal.

Teague said he was visiting the city with a friend, WNBC reported. The friend later went to the subway station to find out why Teague was taken into custody. Investigators searched Teague’s hotel room and found marijuana and an apparatus to smoke it. Authorities believe the gas mask Teague had connects to the smoking device, WNBC reported.

Teague posted videos on social media showing him walking around the city with the gun sticking out of the top of his backpack, WNBC reported.

Teague was later arrested and charged with two counts of criminal possession of a loaded firearm, two counts of criminal possession of an assault rifle, one count of criminal possession of an ammo clip and one count of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia.

Teague is the son of Andrew Teague, 43, who was killed in a shootout with police on an Ohio highway last month, WNBC reported. Teague had been wanted in February for an alleged assault before leading police on an hour long chase that ended on Interstate 270, WSYX reported.

“This story could’ve had a tragically different ending, but thanks to these diligent cops it ends with the suspect in handcuffs,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said on social media.

Cox Media Group