Santa Clara police say a probation search turned up a loaded handgun tucked beneath stuffed animals in a child’s toy bin this week, and two people wound up in handcuffs. Officers also reported finding extended magazines, ammunition, suspected gang indicia and a large amount of cash, and say the vehicle tied to the case was seized under a court order.
How Police Say The Traffic Stop Turned Into A Gun Case
According to a post by the Santa Clara Police Department, the investigation began last Saturday after a vehicle fled from officers following a traffic incident. The same vehicle popped back up on investigators’ radar on July 20, when a Flock Safety automated plate alert signaled that it had returned to Santa Clara.
Officers say they found the vehicle, detained two occupants without incident and then conducted a probation search at one suspect’s residence. Inside, they reported discovering a loaded firearm concealed beneath stuffed animals in a child’s toy bin, along with extended magazines, additional ammunition, gang indicia and a large sum of cash. Both individuals were arrested and booked into the county’s main jail, the department wrote.
Flock Alert Puts Spotlight On Surveillance Fight
The department credits a Flock Safety automated license plate reader alert with helping officers track the car back to Santa Clara. That kind of tech has been a hot-button issue locally, with privacy and data-sharing questions trailing it wherever it goes…