2 men arrested after police K9 detects hidden gun

article

Santa Rosa Police Department K9 Ghost alerted his handlers to a space in the suspect vehicle, where authorities found an unregistered handgun. (Courtesy of the Santa Rosa Police Department)

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Two men were arrested in Santa Rosa on Friday after a police dog sniffed out a hidden compartment in their car that allegedly contained an unregistered gun.

Santa Rosa Police Department officers on patrol in the area of Santa Rosa and Yolanda avenues about 6:15 p.m. on Friday stopped a car for illegal window tinting, according to a department statement.

The driver and the passenger in the vehicles – identified as 19-year-old Luis Roque and 37-year-old Jose Quiroz respectively – were recognized by officers as "criminal street gang participants," and that Quiroz was on parole, police said.

An SRPD K9 officer and his dog, Ghost, were called to assist with the traffic stop. During a search of the car, Ghost was alerted to the dashboard area near the air conditioner and radio controls.

Officers searched the vehicle further and found an open space behind the controls that allegedly contained a loaded and unregistered handgun, the SRPD said.

Both men were subsequently arrested and booked into the Sonoma County jail on suspicion of possession of a firearm. Quiroz was also booked on suspicion of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, police said.