Santa Rosa police arrest juvenile for possessing loaded and unregistered semi-automatic handgun

A disturbance on a Sonoma County Transit bus led to the arrest of a juvenile om suspicion of gang-related activity and for carrying a loaded and unregistered semi-automatic handgun Friday, police said.

At about 6:18 p.m., Santa Rosa Police Department officers were dispatched to the Downtown Santa Rosa Transit Mall in response to a call from a bus driver who reported that several young people were challenging the driver to a fight.

The juveniles were “also making hand gestures that were consistent with ‘gang signs’ at the driver,” after the bus driver had removed them from the bus for causing a disturbance on board, police said in a news release.

Though the group left the area, they returned about 35 minutes later and officers encountered them.

Officers noticed one of the juveniles was carrying a black satchel across his chest, and “quickly tried to sling the satchel to his back,” the release said.

Officers searched the juvenile for weapons and found an unregistered Smith & Wesson M&P Shield semi-automatic handgun, which was loaded with 16-9mm bullets in a high-capacity magazine.

Police also found a pair of brass knuckles in his pants pocket.

The juvenile, whose name will not be released due to their age, was arrested and booked at juvenile hall.

The juvenile received six felony charges for: possession of a loaded firearm in public, possession of a firearm while acting as a participant in a street gang, possession of an unregistered loaded firearm, possession of a firearm as a minor, possession of metal knuckles, and challenge to fight in a public place while participating in a criminal street gang, police said.

You can reach Staff Writer Jennifer Sawhney at 707-521-5346 or jennifer.sawhney@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @sawhney_media.