FITCHBURG, WI — A Madison man was arrested early Thursday after Fitchburg police said they found a loaded handgun with an extended magazine during a vehicle search in a closed car dealership parking lot.
Officers were called to the 300 block of East Badger Road around 1:15 a.m., where they saw a car with several people inside. Police said the business was closed, and the city’s recent rise in vehicle thefts prompted officers to check on the vehicle.
During the encounter, officers said they smelled marijuana coming from the car and decided to search it. That search led to the gun, which police said was in the possession of Donshawn Davis, 18.
Police approached the parked car during a theft crackdown
According to Fitchburg police, the parking lot stop happened in the middle of an ongoing effort to respond to vehicle thefts that had increased across the city over the previous several weeks. The car was parked at a dealership that was closed at the time, adding to officers’ concern.
Police said they noticed several people in the vehicle and spoke with the passengers before detecting the odor of marijuana. That observation became the basis for the vehicle search that uncovered the handgun. The department has not said how many people were in the car or what each person was doing there.
The location, a dealership lot along East Badger Road, was one of the key facts in the arrest because it was closed for business overnight. Officers did not report any damage to the property or any attempted theft tied to the incident.
Loaded handgun and extended magazine found in the search
Police said the search turned up a loaded handgun fitted with an extended magazine. Officers concluded the weapon had been in Davis’s possession. The department did not release additional details about the make or model of the firearm.
The presence of an extended magazine made the weapon more significant in the officers’ view, according to the arrest report. Fitchburg police did not say whether the gun was stolen or whether any other weapons were recovered from the car.
Law enforcement has increasingly pointed to illegal firearms in vehicle searches as a concern in cases tied to car thefts and late-night activity. In this case, however, officers said the search began because of the marijuana odor and the circumstances surrounding the parked vehicle, not because of any report of gunfire.
Davis booked into Dane County Jail on two charges
After the search, police arrested Davis and took him to the Dane County Jail. He was booked on charges of carrying a concealed weapon and felony bail jumping, according to the department.
Felony bail jumping generally refers to violating conditions of release while facing other felony matters. Police said Davis already had seven open felony cases dating back to 2025 at the time of the arrest.
The department did not provide a court schedule or say whether Davis had entered a plea in any of those cases. It also did not say whether any prosecutor had filed new charges beyond the arrest-related counts announced Thursday.
Seven open felony cases stretched back to 2025
Police said Davis was already facing seven open felony cases when he was arrested in Fitchburg. The cases had been open since 2025, though officers did not list court dates or explain the current status of each matter.
Among the alleged offenses tied to those cases were armed robbery, burglary, operating a motor vehicle without consent and possessing a firearm on school grounds. Those allegations were mentioned by police as part of the reason the arrest drew attention.
Officials did not say whether any of the earlier cases involved the same gun found Thursday, or whether the vehicle search was connected to any specific investigation. The arrest nonetheless added another weapon-related charge to an already lengthy felony record.
Vehicle theft concerns shaped the police response
Fitchburg police tied the initial contact to a broader increase in vehicle thefts across the city in recent weeks. That trend led officers to approach the car in the dealership lot and check on the people inside.
Once officers detected marijuana, the contact escalated into a search that uncovered the handgun. Police did not say whether any of the passengers besides Davis were arrested or cited.
The incident shows how routine patrol attention around empty lots and parked vehicles can quickly turn into a weapons case when officers discover evidence of other illegal activity. In this case, the sequence ended with Davis in jail and facing new charges on top of multiple pending felony matters.
