Eleuterio Avalos, a 32-year-old Modesto resident, has been sentenced to over three years in federal prison on charges of illegal firearm possession, as announced in a recent post from the Modesto Police Department. Following his prison term, Avalos will undergo 36 months of supervised release. The sentence comes after Avalos attempted to evade law enforcement during a traffic stop, where he was seen discarding a firearm while fleeing on foot. This conviction is particularly significant because of Avalos's previous felony convictions, including Assault with a Firearm on a Person and Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
According to the social media post by the Modesto Police Department, the efforts to quickly and successfully prosecute Avalos were the result of collaborative work by the Modesto Police Department’s Street Gang Unit, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office, and the ATF Task Force.
The investigation was initiated after the failed traffic stop on November 18, 2022. Avalos, upon fleeing, was witnessed extracting a firearm from his waistband, an action which only ceased when law enforcement officers captured him. The Modesto Police Department later located and secured the discarded weapon. This series of events ultimately led to the federal charges that Avalos faced, due significantly to the illegal possession of a firearm by a person with a criminal record as defined by 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1).
The Modesto Police Department’s statement reflects on the necessity of continued vigilance and inter-agency cooperation in addressing firearm-related crimes. The success in bringing Avalos to justice not only represents an accomplishment in law enforcement collaboration but also serves to significantly reinforce the safety of the community.
