SAN MATEO, Calif. (KRON) – The San Mateo Police Department (SMPD) announced the arrest of a convicted felon on multiple gun-related felony charges after a lengthy investigation during which the man left a bag containing a loaded, unregistered pistol in a store’s shopping cart.
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SMPD reported that officers collected the firearm on Sept. 26 after an employee alerted them to the incident at a business near South Norfolk Street and Fashion Island Boulevard.
According to police, store surveillance video showed the suspect, identified as 42-year-old Sione Laulea of San Mateo, arriving at the store in a white Kia, placing the bag with the gun in a shopping cart, and then forgetting to leave with it.
The investigation revealed that Laulea, a convicted felon, was prohibited from possessing any firearms. SMPD obtained arrest and search warrants, leading to Laulea’s arrest on Thursday when he was spotted in the same white Kia traveling south on Highway 101.