Pistol Converted To Machine Gun Found During Traffic Stop In San Mateo County: Police

SAN MATEO, CA — During a traffic stop Thursday in San Mateo, police said they found a pistol that had been modified to shoot 10 rounds in less than one second.

At 3:02 p.m. on Thursday, San Mateo Police Department officers said they pulled over a car for multiple vehicle violations driving in the area of southbound Highway 101 at Holly Street and found the passenger, Josiah Garcia, 20, of Antioch, was in possession of a black Glock .22 pistol that had been converted to a fully automatic weapon.

During the traffic stop, police said they searched the car and found the gun under the passenger seat. Officers said the gun was loaded with a round in the chamber.

Police said a modification to the gun, commonly known as a switch, converted the semi-automatic pistol into a gun capable of fully automatic fire.

Officers arrested Garcia for violations of converting a firearm into a machine gun, concealing a weapon inside of a vehicle, possession of an unconventional pistol, possession of a multi-burst trigger, carrying a loaded firearm in public under specific conditions, possession of a machine gun and possession of a concealed firearm that is loaded, police said.

The pistol was range tested by a SMPD firearms expert, and during a live-fire examination, the pistol fired 10 rounds in under one second, police said.