Bike rider without light leads to arrest; turns out, he had a loaded gun

A gang member riding a bicycle at night without a light led police officers to find out he had a loaded handgun, Fresno police said.

Sgt. Steve Jaquez said Officers Jacqueline Moreno and Ariana Kasparian were on patrol New Year’s Eve in the area of Van Ness and Belmont avenues in central Fresno when they saw the man, later identified as East Lane Crip gang member Melvin Whitehead, riding a bike without a light at night. The officers tried to stop Whitehead but he rode away. A third officer, Marcus Gray Jr., saw Whitehead throw an object to the ground; then he discarded narcotics before the officers captured him. The object was discovered to be the handgun.

Whitehead was booked into Fresno County Jail for drug and weapons charges.