May 23—Reading police arrested a 21-year-old man after he was spotted brandishing a sawed-off shotgun near vice officers conducting surveillance Monday night in the first block of North Ninth Street.

Wilker J. Casiano was taken into custody following a brief foot chase about 8 p.m., investigators said. Police said they confiscated a duffle bag and the illegal shotgun nearby.

Police said the firearm had an 11.5-inch barrel and had one round in the chamber. Under state law, a sawed-off shotgun — a shotgun adapted for concealment — is considered a prohibited offensive weapon with a barrel shorter than 18 inches.

Following arraignment before District Judge Tonya A. Butler in Reading Central Court, Casiano of the 300 block of South 17th Street was committed to Berks County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail.

He faces charges of carrying a firearm without a license and having a prohibited offensive weapon.

The arrest of Casiano comes after a string of gun seizures and arrests by city police.

Police announced last week that between May 11 and May 16, the Reading Police Department Neighborhood Gun Violence Unit conducted several operations focused on disrupting acts of gun violence.

Officers made 10 arrests, including two wanted persons, and seized five firearms in those details.

The unit was launched in February and is staffed by personnel from the patrol and investigation divisions.

The unit is funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency.

The goal of the unit is to disrupt acts of violence and arrest those responsible as part of the department's multifaceted efforts to ensure safe neighborhoods and streets in Reading, officials said.