Berkeley Traffic Stop Yields ​‘Ghost Gun’

BERKELEY, CA — An Oakland man was arrested last month on suspicion of possessing an illegal firearm, Berkeley police said.

Officers at around 11:45 p.m. on March 26th responded to a report of a person armed with a gun in the parking lot of the La Quinta hotel, 920 University Avenue, police said.

The officers conducted a traffic stop for a code violation on a vehicle seen leaving the parking that matched the description of the vehicle associated with the armed person in the report, police said.

Officers searched the vehicle based on probable cause and located a handgun with no serial number known as a “ghost gun,” police said.

The driver admitted to ownership of the hand gun according to police.

The 22-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of carrying a loaded firearm, carrying a concealed firearm and carrying a firearm with a high-capacity magazine, police said.

The responding officers were assigned that night as a specialized traffic enforcement unit, a program funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.