Yucca Valley man, 33-year-old Ramon Rocha, was arrested after local authorities received reports of gunfire on April 7, just before midnight. San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene near Twentynine Palms Highway and Peterson Road, where they found Rocha allegedly shooting a short-barrelled illegal assault rifle in the desert.
Deputies detained Rocha and discovered he was carrying not one, but four short-barrelled assault rifles, two of them unserialized — these so-called ghost guns are untraceable and present a vexing challenge for law enforcement. To consummately search his premises, a warrant was obtained, resulting in the seizure of an additional four firearms, one reported stolen, as well as around 500 rounds of specialized ammunition designed to penetrate armor, as reported by the SBSD - Morongo Basin Sheriff's Department.
Critical to the arsenal were "green tip" rifle-caliber rounds, known for their alarming capacity to cut through both soft and hard body armor and steel, raising serious public safety concerns, as per the SBSD - Morongo Basin Sheriff's Department.
As investigations continue, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office remains the point of contact for updates or information on the case, which carries the number 202400503.
