El Centro Police Recover Stolen Rifle and Unserialized Handgun Following Nighttime Traffic Stop
EL CENTRO, CA — A nighttime traffic stop conducted by the El Centro Police Department led to the recovery of multiple firearms, including a stolen AR-15 rifle and an unserialized handgun, following a detection by a police service dog.
Night shift patrol officers initiated an enforcement stop on a vehicle for an unspecified California Vehicle Code violation. During the contact, handlers deployed K-9 Vader to perform an exterior free-air sniff of the vehicle, which yielded a positive alert for contraband.
A subsequent physical search of the vehicle’s interior led to the discovery of an AR-15 rifle with an accompanying magazine, an unserialized handgun commonly designated as a ghost gun, a handgun magazine, and a box of rifle ammunition.
A records inquiry conducted on the serial number of the AR-15 rifle indicated that the weapon had previously been reported stolen from the nearby City of Imperial.
Officers took the driver into custody at the scene without incident.
