SANTA ROSA, CA — Santa Rosa police say two routine traffic stops led to the seizure of two illegal firearms and the arrest of four people over a roughly five-hour span late on Sept. 26 and early on Sept. 27. The stops were made after officers noticed vehicle code violations, then expanded the investigations once they began checking the occupants and the vehicles.
In one case, officers found a loaded, un-serialized .223 caliber short-barreled rifle inside a duffel bag on a rear seat. In the other, officers say a loaded handgun was hidden in the front passenger’s pants pocket. Police said both investigations became felony weapons cases after the searches.
Expired registration stop near Fulton Road turns up short-barreled rifle
The first stop happened at about 8:23 p.m. Sept. 26 near Fulton Road and San Pedro Drive after an officer saw a vehicle with expired registration. During that stop, the officer also noticed an open container of alcohol inside the vehicle and called for additional officers to help with the investigation and search.
According to Santa Rosa police, the search uncovered a duffel bag on the rear seat containing a loaded .223 caliber short-barreled rifle that did not have a serial number. The firearm was seized as evidence. Officers then arrested two adults and a juvenile on weapons-related charges.
Three occupants arrested after officers find concealed firearm in the car
Police identified the adult arrests from the first stop as Deshawn Porter, 21, of Sacramento, and Eric Sutton, 23, of Santa Rosa. A juvenile occupant was also arrested and booked into Juvenile Hall. Police did not release the juvenile’s name, citing state law.
Sutton was charged with carrying a concealed firearm within a vehicle, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, prohibited person possession of ammunition, and possession of an assault weapon. Porter was charged with carrying a concealed firearm within a vehicle, possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, and possession of an assault weapon. The juvenile faced similar firearm charges.
Early-morning speeding stop leads to loaded handgun arrest
The second incident came at about 1:18 a.m. Sept. 27 in the area of 10th Street and Mendocino Avenue, where an officer stopped a vehicle for speeding and failing to maintain its lane. Police said there were three people in the car, and officers later learned the driver was on felony probation for robbery.
Because of that probation status, officers removed the occupants and carried out a probation search. During a pat search of front passenger Bradley Fahey, 22, of Santa Rosa, police say they found a loaded handgun concealed in his pants pocket. Fahey was arrested without incident.
Police say passenger had prior felony conviction and could not legally possess firearms
Santa Rosa police said further investigation showed Fahey had a prior felony conviction and was barred from possessing firearms and ammunition. He was booked into the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility on charges including carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle, carrying a loaded firearm in public, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and felon in possession of a firearm.
The other two people in the vehicle were released at the scene. Police did not identify the driver’s probation conditions beyond saying the driver was on felony probation for robbery. The agency said the stop led to the recovery of a second illegally possessed gun from city streets.
Traffic enforcement became the basis for two felony weapons cases
Police said both cases began as routine traffic enforcement and then developed into weapons investigations as officers followed up on what they observed during each stop. In the first case, the expired registration check led to the discovery of the rifle and related arrests. In the second, speeding and lane violations led to the search that uncovered the handgun.
The department said proactive traffic enforcement can interrupt violent crime by taking illegal firearms out of circulation. Each case was assigned its own number, 26-10650 and 26-10659, as investigators processed the arrests and evidence. Police described the work as part of an effort to reduce gun violence in Santa Rosa.
What police say was recovered in each case
Across the two stops, officers say they recovered one loaded, un-serialized .223 caliber short-barreled rifle and one loaded handgun. The rifle was found in a duffel bag in the rear seat of one vehicle, while the handgun was found on Fahey during the second investigation.
Police did not report any injuries or confrontations during either arrest. The department said the firearms were illegal to possess under the charges filed and that the seizures removed two guns from the community. Both incidents stemmed from traffic violations that officers spotted before making contact with the vehicles.
