Sacramento driver was asleep at the wheel with a loaded gun that was stolen, CHP says
Officers on Wednesday night found a driver in south Sacramento asleep at the wheel, apparently high on drugs and with a loaded gun that had been reported stolen, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The driver, identified Elias Magana Lopez of Sacramento, was found in his Ford sport utility vehicle in one of the eastbound lanes of Mack Road, near Stockton Boulevard, the CHP announced Thursday in a Facebook post.
It was about 11:45 p.m. when the two CHP officers first spotted the stopped SUV in the road. The officers parked their patrol vehicle bumper-to-bumper with the Ford.
One of the officers walked up to the SUV and found Lopez asleep in the driver’s seat. The officer saw that Lopez had his foot on the brake pedal, and the SUV’s gearshift was in the “drive” position. The officer reached into the SUV and moved the Ford’s gearshift to “park” position before he shook the driver awake.
The CHP said Lopez was “slow to react and appeared dazed.” The officer instructed Lopez to place his hands on top of his head and get out of the SUV.
Lopez, 20, looked around and reached toward the right side of his waistband, according to the CHP. The officer continued to tell Lopez to put his hands on the back of his head, but Lopez was slow to comply, officials said.
The officer grabbed Lopez’s hands as he got out of the Ford. The CHP said the officer frisked Lopez and found a Glock 17 handgun tucked in his waistband.
The gun had a 33-round ammunition magazine with about 20 bullets and a bullet chambered, according to the CHP. The officer also found that Lopez had a clear plastic bag with two pills inside that were later identified as Xanax, a pharmaceutical drug used to treat anxiety and panic disorders.
Lopez, who appeared to be driving under the influence of drugs, did not have a driver’s license and he was on probation for carrying a concealed gun, according to the CHP. The Glock handgun was reported stolen in Hayward.
Lopez was booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he remained in custody Thursday afternoon. His bail amount was set at $90,000.
He was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a gun and ammunition, possessing a concealed loaded gun and a large capacity ammunition magazine, violating probation, having a concealed gun in a vehicle and knowing a concealed gun was stolen, according to jail records. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of driving without a license.
