A routine traffic stop led to the arrest of a 58-year-old Renton man found with a sawed-off shotgun in his vehicle on Sunday night, Nov. 2, according to the Kent Police Department.
Around 9 p.m. Sunday night, Kent Police Officer Hernandez stopped a Honda Odyssey that ran a red light at SE 192nd Street and 140th Ave SE. Police said the driver was acting erratically and moving his hands rapidly inside the vehicle. He told the officer he was experiencing a medical problem and had been speeding as a result.
A female passenger in the vehicle was unresponsive and could not be awakened, prompting officers to call Puget Sound Fire for medical aid. As the driver exited the vehicle, officers spotted a Winchester 12-gauge shotgun with a sawed-off barrel next to the driver’s seat.
Police said the driver claimed the gun was not his and that he had picked it up the previous day after finding it in a parking lot. Officers later confirmed he was a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms. Three shotgun shells were found in his pockets at the time of his arrest.
Both the driver and passenger were medically evaluated at the scene. The suspect was cleared and booked into jail on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of a short-barrel shotgun. The passenger briefly regained consciousness before passing out again and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Officers noted finding a small amount of white powder near the passenger, though the substance has not been confirmed.
“He turned 59 two days later,” police said in a statement. “Not a great way to celebrate.”
