Placer County arrests for illegal gun possession nearly double in past year, deputies say
Placer County deputies have encountered almost double the amount of people illegally armed with guns in the past year, as violence rises amid the coronavirus pandemic nationwide.
In a news release, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said that between January 2019 and March 2020, 48 people were arrested on gun possession charges. But between January 2020 and March 2021, that number nearly doubled to 90 arrests.
“Our deputies are increasingly coming into contact with subjects who are illegally in possession of a firearm during traffic stops,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote. “While we can’t pinpoint exactly what has caused this increase, we can definitively say it has made our deputies’ jobs much more dangerous.”
A recent study from the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice showed that during 2020, many major U.S. cities saw surges in homicides and gun assaults. Using data from 34 cities, the commission found that while most property crimes went down significantly, homicides were up by 30% compared to 2019 and gun assaults were up by 8%.
The Sacramento area has seen a similar upward trend in recent months. Aggravated assaults in Elk Grove, Roseville and Sacramento during the first six months of 2020 rose by 23%, and Sacramento police officials said the increase in shootings may have been connected with a surge in gang activity.
Between March 20 and Nov. 6 of 2020, Sacramento police reported a 67% increase in gun assaults compared with the same time frame in 2019.
Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn told The Sacramento Bee in December that coronavirus restrictions have limited options for youth and many others, potentially contributing to the rise in violence.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office noted two recent run-ins over the past week that highlight the increased odds of a deputy coming into contact with armed suspects during routine traffic stops.
On Friday, a deputy stopped a motorcyclist on westbound Interstate 80 near Bowman Road around 2:30 a.m. The man was 52-year-old Michael Fiscus of Colfax, who had an outstanding warrant in the county. Inside the bike’s saddlebag was a loaded Ruger 1911 pistol and a bag of methamphetamine. He was arrested on his warrant and on suspicion of drug possession, being armed while possessing drugs and driving on a suspended license.
The very next day, deputies driving along eastbound I-80 near Dry Creek Road around 4 a.m. spotted an erratic driver in a Toyota Celica.
They lost sight of the car, but later found the driver standing on the shoulder of the highway near Bowman Road. Deputies said that Lyle Chelgren, 31, of Plumas Lake initially refused to put his hands up, but eventually complied. He was arrested after deputies found two bags of methamphetamine discarded nearby.
A sergeant found the Celica around the same time on Lincoln Way, with a woman, Jessica Munoz-Mendoza, 29, of Sacramento, inside. The sergeant searched the vehicle and found a loaded Beretta PX4 Storm pistol, two glass pipes and a hypodermic needle.
Both she and Chelgren were arrested on suspicion of drug possession and conspiracy. Chelgren was also charged with felony firearm possession, felony ammunition possession and destroying evidence. Munoz-Mendoza was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, paraphernalia possession and driving on a suspended license.