What started as a routine traffic stop last Saturday on State Route 37 near the Fairgrounds Drive exit turned into a weapons arrest after officers say they found a loaded, unregistered handgun with an extended magazine tucked in a bag perched on a container of spaghetti. The driver and a passenger were detained without incident, arrested on weapon violations and taken to the Solano County Jail. Officers report that the stop began when they spotted illegal window tint and then smelled an alcoholic beverage, which led to a DUI investigation and a search of the vehicle.
What police say they found
According to the Vallejo Police Department, patrol officers initiated the stop while the vehicle was traveling westbound on SR-37 and noted an open container and the odor of alcohol during a DUI check. During the search, officers say they located “an unregistered loaded firearm with an extended magazine inside a bag, which was resting on top of a container filled with spaghetti.”
A records check identified the passenger as a Sacramento resident and the driver as a Fairfield resident with a prior felony conviction for pimping, according to the department. Both were advised of their Miranda rights before being arrested and booked into the Solano County Jail.
Part of a broader pattern
The seizure fits into a string of recent North Bay traffic stops that turned up loaded weapons or large-capacity magazines during routine enforcement, a trend local outlets have been tracking. SFGATE and a Hoodline report have documented similar cases in Vallejo and neighboring cities this year, where basic traffic enforcement quickly shifted into weapons investigations…