Seven unlicensed firearms, at least one confirmed stolen, were seized by the Turlock Police Department on Wednesday.
The weapons were in the possession of Francisco Soto, age 19, of Turlock, who was arrested and booked for felony possession of a stolen shotgun.
The weapons seizures followed a normal traffic stop, performed at the intersection of Quincy Road and Monte Vista Avenue when Soto violated a basic traffic law.
Soto told officers that he had a shotgun in his trunk and consented to a search. The black, 12 gauge, Mossberg shotgun found there had previously been reported stolen to the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office.
Following the discovery officers asked for and were granted permission to search Soto's residence in the 2500 block of W. Taylor Rd. There, officers found six other guns including a rifle. All were confiscated.
According to Turlock Police Department spokesperson Mayra Lewis, those other firearms were not registered to Soto. The Turlock Police Department is currently investigating to determine if they too were stolen, Lewis said.
Though the officers who performed the traffic stop were assigned to the Criminal Apprehension and Gang Enforcement team, Lewis said the stop was solely based on a vehicle code violation.
“At this time we have no indications that lead us to believe this incident is gang related,” Lewis said.
To leave an anonymous tip for the Turlock Police Department regarding this incident or any other crime, call Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636. Callers may be eligible for a cash reward.
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Wow… I wonder how much of this could have been avoided had this guy not talked to the cops. A basic traffic stop should not have lead to this guys trunk and house.
There is NO requirement to register long guns in the state of California, though 2014 will require all new long gun purchases to be registered with the CALDOJ. Long gun owners should keep a record of all their serial numbers in the event of theft. Without your recorded serial numbers, it makes it difficult to find your stolen weapons in a situation such as this. Good Job TPD. Every law abiding gun owner should be cheering this arrest.