Ghost Gun Arrest in Vista 

September 17, 2023 - San Diego County Sheriff's Department officials report that a man is facing numerous charges after a ghost gun was found during a traffic stop.

It happened on Thursday, September 14 just before 10:30 a.m. in the 700 block of North Santa Fe Avenue in Vista. Deputies with the Vista Sheriff's Station Gang Enforcement Team conducted a traffic stop on a man for not having a license plate on a motorcycle.

The man pulled over but ran inside a restaurant to avoid the deputies. He was located and taken into custody without incident. The man was found to be in possession of a ghost gun and loaded magazine.

Unlike legal firearms, ghost guns are not marked with serial numbers. There is no way to track their origins or their owners making it harder for law enforcement to investigate or solve a crime.

Alan Altamirano (19) was booked into the Vista Detention Facility on charges of possessing an illegal firearm and ammunition, resisting an officer, and carrying a concealed weapon. He is free on $50,000 bail.

Since the beginning of the year, the Vista Sheriff's Station has confiscated 21 ghost guns. 15 of those seizures were made by the Gang Enforcement Team.

Source & photo: San Diego County Sheriff's Department