'Ghost guns’ a concerning trend in Sonoma County, officials say

A pair of “ghost guns” confiscated by Santa Rosa police over the weekend are indicative of a growing trend across Sonoma County, officials say.

More often than ever, arrests involving gang members or violent felons are resulting in authorities finding guns sans serial numbers that are pieced together using various parts that can be purchased online.

They’re just as deadly as regular guns and authorities can still search for fingerprints, DNA and other evidence that links them to crimes.

But, the main issue concerning officials is that these types of firearms are more easily obtained by people who shouldn’t be armed in the first place, Santa Rosa police Sgt. Chris Mahurin said.

And without any regulation, he said, the amount of these kinds of guns on Sonoma County streets can only go up.

“We can’t show where they’re coming from,” said Mahurin, whose office has confiscated at least six ghost guns since the end of May. “We can’t go after the source as easily.”

Sonoma County Sheriff’s Sgt. Juan Valencia said ghost guns can be passed from owner to owner and parts may likely be obtained online or on the street.

Valencia said his office has recovered more than four ghost guns this year. He agreed that “they’re becoming more common” as government budget constraints impact law enforcement efforts to curb gang-related activity across the region.

“They’ve been around now that there’s no gang unit” since 2017, he said.

The Santa Rosa Police Department’s gang crime team was disbanded 18 months ago “due to low patrol staffing levels,” Chief Ray Navarro said last month.

Police officers working on gang-related crimes, in particular, are seeing an uptick in these types of guns, Santa Rosa Police Sgt. James Vickers also said, adding that the ghost gun designation includes automatic rifles, as well as handguns.

The handguns that were seized Sunday were discovered by one Santa Rosa police officer during unrelated arrests.

Alberto Arias, 19, was arrested around 1 a.m. Sunday during a traffic stop at Dutton Avenue and West Barham Road, police said. He was pulled from his vehicle after police said he was allegedly reaching toward the floorboard and ignoring orders to exit the vehicle.

A loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun equipped with a 26-round magazine was discovered under the driver’s seat. Arias was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle, carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle and resisting or obstructing a peace officer.

Around 4 a.m. Sunday, Devin Braddi was arrested at Brockhurst Drive and West Third Street after it was determined he was wanted on a warrant in an unspecified crime.

The arresting police officer found an unloaded .357 caliber semi-automatic handgun wrapped in a black ski mask at the scene, according to Santa Rosa police.

Braddi, 27, was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, police said.

Sonoma County jail records did not indicate whether Arias and Braddi were still in custody as of Monday night.

Press Democrat reporter Andrew Graham contributed to this story.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi