Lake County man arrested in Santa Rosa on suspicion of possessing assault weapon

Police arrested a Lake County man on suspicion of possessing an assault weapon and ammunition after stopping him for a vehicle code violation early Saturday morning in Santa Rosa, authorities said.

Santa Rosa police pulled over Alex Casillas, 32, on Santa Rosa Avenue near Hearn Avenue at about 12:52 a.m.

During the stop, an officer noticed an “overwhelming odor of marijuana” coming from the car, and Casillas told the officer he had “a large quantity” of it, police said. Casillas then opened a backpack, and the officer saw several rounds of ammunition along with the marijuana.

The officer searched the vehicle and found a loaded assault weapon inside the backpack, police said.

Casillas was arrested and booked in Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of four counts related to possessing the loaded assault weapon. He was being held on $30,000 bail.

You can reach Staff Writer Ethan Varian at ethan.varian@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5412. On Twitter @ethanvarian