Three Arrested In Lafayette Early-Morning Traffic Stops

LAMORINDA, CA — Lafayette police said they found hidden firearms, drugs, and stolen property during two separate early-morning traffic stops last week, resulting in three arrests and multiple felony and misdemeanor charges.

The first incident happened at about 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 2, when officers stopped a vehicle on Mount Diablo Boulevard for a traffic violation, Lafayette police said on social media. During the stop, officers found what they suspected to be a concealed firearm and narcotics. The driver, a 31-year-old Berkeley resident, was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle and possession of controlled substances. He was taken to the Martinez Detention Facility.

A second stop was at 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 3, near Deer Hill Road and the State Route 24 on-ramp. Officers stopped a vehicle for a code violation and said they found a firearm and what they suspected to be stolen mail and drugs inside the vehicle. The driver, a 45-year-old Richmond resident, and the passenger, a 42-year-old Vallejo resident, were arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle, petty theft, mail theft, and possession of unlawful paraphernalia and drugs, police said. Both were taken to the Martinez Detention Facility.