A routine traffic stop on Middlebrook Pike turned into a full-blown bust on Saturday, after Knoxville’s Community Engagement Response Team pulled over a blue Kia Sportage and ended up seizing a stolen handgun, suspected marijuana, and more than $900 in cash, according to the Knoxville Police Department.
Officers say the SUV had been flagged as a possible suspect vehicle in a shots-fired incident two days earlier. When CERT officers walked up to the car, they reported a strong smell of marijuana, which set the tone for the rest of the stop.
The driver, identified by police as James NiyonKuru, was asked to step out of the vehicle. A K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics, and a pat-down of NiyonKuru turned up several plastic baggies, police said. Officers then searched a backpack and reported finding more than $900 in cash and about 13.06 grams of suspected marijuana. A handgun recovered during the stop came back as stolen out of Blount County, according to a records check…