BOARDMAN, Ohio - A Youngstown man has pleaded not guilty to charges filed after Boardman Police say he punched an officer in the face twice after allegedly fleeing from a traffic stop where a police officer found a .40 caliber handgun and a magazine filled with hollow point bullets.

An officer pulled over a Dodge Charger on Market Street late Friday after saying it nearly struck another car while changing lanes.

After a passenger in the car, 23-year-old Melvin Hicks told the officer that there was a gun and separate magazine in the car’s center console.

Hicks was moved to the back seat of a police cruiser after telling the officer that neither he nor the driver of the car had a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

The officer reports that he managed to handcuff one of Hicks’ wrists, but the two struggled on the ground, with Hicks allegedly punching the officer in the eye twice.

It wasn’t until a second officer arrived and used his taser that they were able to subdue Hicks.

According to the police report, Hicks admitted that he owns the Smith and Wesson pistol and a separate magazine loaded with .40 caliber hollow point bullets found in the car.

Hicks was booked into the county jail on charges of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, obstructing official business, and improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle.

The driver of the Charger was cited for a traffic violation.