Crime & Safety
2 Arrested, 2 Cited After Gun, Open Alcohol Found During Traffic Stop In Santa Cruz Co.: Police
A loaded pistol was found in the waistband of one of the car's passengers, officer said.
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA – Two people were arrested and two others were cited in Watsonville on Sunday night after a traffic stop revealed a loaded pistol and open alcoholic beverages in the vehicle, police said.
At about 10:50 p.m., an officer in the 1100 block of Main Street pulled over a vehicle that didn't have its headlights on while driving in the dark, according to police.
The officer contacted the four people inside the car and immediately noticed several open alcoholic beverages inside. When the officer removed the driver and passengers, he found a loaded and concealed pistol in the waistband of Ivan Ruelas, an 18-year-old Watsonville man who had been in the right rear passenger seat, police said.
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Ruelas was arrested on suspicion of illegal possession of a loaded and concealed firearm, possession of an unregistered firearm and resisting arrest, according to police.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence while the other two passengers were cited and then released for being in possession of open alcoholic containers in a vehicle, police said.