'Ghost Gun' Recovered From Gang Members In South OC

SAN CLEMENTE, CA — Three gang members were arrested in south Orange County Sunday night, the Orange County Sheriff's Department reported.

The incident happened at around 10 p.m. Sunday, June 18, when in between calls for service a deputy did a traffic stop on a vehicle in the North Beach area in San Clemente.

During the stop, authorities said the deputy found three documented San Clemente Varrio Chico — alternatively known as SCVC — "gang associates" in the vehicle. A loaded gun was found tucked in the waistband of one suspect, and a second gun was found in the front passenger compartment of the vehicle, authorities said.

According to the OCSD, one of the weapons was a "ghost gun" — or an untraceable firearm. The three suspects were arrested on weapons charges and taken to the Orange County Jail.

Their names were not released, and no further information was immediately available.