In the dead of night, a routine traffic stop in San Jacinto turned into a significant bust when deputies snagged a suspect on multiple firearm and drug charges. The San Jacinto Sheriff's Office reported that on Sunday, 11:01 p.m., Christian Ray Snowden, 30, was pulled over near Ramona Expressway and State Street and found with drugs and an arsenal in his car.
The stop, which could have been any small infraction, escalated quickly after the deputies discovered that Snowden was wanted on several arrest warrants. That discovery led to a search of his vehicle, which unveiled a shocking cache: 8 firearms, a suppressor, ammo, 5 pounds of explosive target material, and illegal high-capacity magazines, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
But the sweep didn't stop on the roadside. Officers went on to serve a search warrant at Snowden's residence located at the 1400 block of Calle San Sebastian where they hit the motherlode. An additional stash of ammunition and 20 pounds of explosive target material were found, adding more fuel to the already incendiary list of offenses.
Following the discoveries, Snowden was carted off to the Smith Correctional Facility to face his comeuppance for the narcotic and weapon-related offenses. The San Jacinto Sheriff's Station is probing deeper and has asked anyone with further information to step forward and contact Deputy Rubalcava at (951) 654-2702. The nature of Snowden's initial warrants was not disclosed.
