Scooter traffic stop leads to seizure of handgun, cocaine in Santa Rosa

A Santa Rosa police officer patrolling Southwest Santa Rosa for gang activity arrested a man on a motorized scooter Friday after he was found carrying a loaded firearm while in possession of drugs, police said.

Police arrested Martin Ponce Jr., 27, of Santa Rosa at about 7:42 p.m., after police said he failed to stop his motorized scooter at a posted stop sign on West Avenue and South Avenue in Santa Rosa’s Roseland neighborhood.

The officer was part of local police department’s Special Enforcement Team, which was conducting extra patrols in the area. Police said there’s recently been gang-related graffiti tagging by opposing gangs in the area of West Avenue and Sunset Avenue.

Police said Ponce was carrying a loaded 9 mm handgun and several grams of cocaine. The gun was registered to Ponce.

He was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of felony possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded gun, misdemeanor carrying a loaded firearm in public and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.