In area known for violence, seized weapons are a win for Fresno police

Two weapons are off the streets and a man is in jail – the result, Fresno police said, of officers focused on eliminating crime in an area known to be “plagued with violence.”

Sgt. Adrian Alvarez Sr. said Mike Montez, 38, who is a known East Side Bulldog Gang member, was stopped in the area of McKinley Avenue and Second Street by police Nov. 29 and was found with a loaded .45-caliber Hi Point handgun in his car as well as some narcotics. He also allegedly had 20 gauge shotgun shells in the car.

Montez was booked into Fresno County Jail on weapon-related charges shortly after the traffic stop. As of Saturday night, jail records showed Montez was still in jail with 10 different charges. He was arrested by officers from Fresno City College’s police department, according to the jail log.

The efforts by police to curtail further violence led them to Montez’s East Normal Avenue home, located in an area that has become a hot spot for shooting violence, Alvarez said in a news release. A drive-by shooting in the same area on Nov. 26 sent a man to the hospital. And previously, on Nov. 11, two men were taken to the hospital with gunshot injuries. Suspects in those cases were not identified.

Inside Montez’s home, detectives along with officers from the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC) found a sawed-off double barrel shotgun that matched the shotgun shells found during the traffic stop. A backpack with cash, drugs and a scale were also seized from the home.

Fresno police said anyone with information on criminals involved in human trafficking or who are in possession of drugs or weapons can call Crime Stoppers to report them anonymously at 559-498-7869. A monetary reward will be given.

This story was originally published December 2, 2017 at 9:13 PM with the headline "In area known for violence, seized weapons are a win for Fresno police."