Fresno police find backpacks full of guns in separate incidents

Fresno police, stepping up their vigilance against gun-related crime, arrested two men Saturday after finding backpacks loaded with guns in separate incidents.

Marcos Hernandez, 23, and Israel Rodriguez, 22, were each initially stopped for minor traffic violations.

Police described each incident:

▪ Hernandez was walking in the roadway near McKinley and Palm avenues. He was hesitant to talk to the officers but admitted he had a gun in his backpack. Officers searched the backpack and found a 9mm semi-automatic handgun that had the serial numbers filed off. They also found nearly 48 rounds of ammunition, 17 in the magazine and the rest in a brown paper bag. On the bag were several suspected gang markings, including a picture of a dog paw.

▪ Rodriguez was riding a bicycle near Fresno and Belmont avenues when he was pulled over. He told officers he was an East Side Fresno Bulldog gang “dropout.” Officers discovered he had a warrant for a prior driving under the influence case. As he was being taken into custody, officers removed his backpack and noticed it was unusually heavy. Inside, they found two handguns, a holster, a pair of handcuffs and a plastic bag filled with more than 100 rounds of ammunition. A second holster was found tucked in Rodriguez’s front waistband. One gun was loaded with eight rounds. Neither gun was properly registered.

Fresno police are offering $500 rewards for information that leads to firearm-related arrests. Anyone with information may call Crime Stoppers at 559-498-STOP.

This story was originally published September 6, 2015 at 7:49 PM with the headline "Fresno police find backpacks full of guns in separate incidents."