At about 11:32 am Wednesday morning, the Turlock Police Department was dispatched to a reported weapon offense in progress at QuikStop, 1260 Geer Road, Turlock, after an off-duty police officer had reported seeing a man waving a gun around.
The off-duty officer provided dispatch with the suspect’s description as well as the description and license plate of a vehicle that he got into and began driving off in. The off-duty officer followed the vehicle northbound on Geer Road and then westbound on West Hawkeye Avenue until an on-duty officer in an unmarked vehicle was able to catch up to it near the intersection of Fulkerth Road and North Tully Road.
The vehicle then got onto northbound State Route 99 and continued to get followed by the officer in the unmarked vehicle until an officer in a marked vehicle caught up to it in the Ceres area.
A high risk stop was conducted northbound State Route 99 near Whitmore Avenue where the driver, Marc Anthony Hughes, 22, of Turlock, and his passenger were removed from the vehicle and detained at gunpoint. Hughes matched the description originally provided by the off-duty officer.
A probable cause search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a handgun loaded by an extended magazine which contained live ammunition and a large amount of marijuana which was over 28.5 grams.
Hughes was arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges of carrying a loaded firearm, carrying a concealed firearm, possession of a large-capacity magazine, and possession of more than 28.5 grams of cannabis or eight grams of concentrated cannabis.
Hughes’ passenger was released.
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