Driver wearing 'Jason' mask arrested with an assault rifle in his backseat in Northern California

A driver wearing a "Jason"-style mask was arrested Saturday after police pulled him over and found an AR-15-style gun in his backseat, authorities said.

Santa Rosa police officers stopped the driver of a gold Toyota Camry around 9:40 p.m. for having his headlights or taillights off, according to a news release.

The driver, 27-year-old Adonay Efriem of Santa Rosa, was wearing a hockey goalie's mask similar to the type worn by the serial-killing character Jason in the "Friday the 13th" films, according to police. Officers noticed he was "sweating profusely" and that an AR-15-style rifle was in the backseat, partially covered by a blanket.

Police allege that the gun — an Eagle Arms Eagle-15 5.56-millimeter semiautomatic rifle — was an illegal, unregistered weapon, though it was not loaded, they noted. Efriem was arrested on suspicion of possession of an assault weapon and booked into the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility.

"The Santa Rosa Police Department Special Enforcement Team was developed to address the rise in illegal firearm possession and the rise in gun violence in the City of Santa Rosa," according to the department news release.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .