A 37-year-old man has been charged with several firearm related charges after he was seen riding his bike with a sawed-off shotgun in his waistband.

On August 15 around midnight, a Hamilton police officer patrolling King St E noticed a male and female acting suspiciously and peering into a parked car window. When they were told to stop, the male fled on his bike.

He was quickly found a short distance away and during the search a loaded sawed-off shotgun was found tucked in the front waistband of his pants.

Richard Fester remains in custody and was scheduled to appear in court today.