A Costco parking lot confrontation that started as road rage and ended with a gun allegedly being flashed has now landed a Menlo Park father in legal trouble over what police call dangerously stored firearms at his home.
Redwood City police say the investigation began after a Feb. 11 dispute in the Costco parking lot on Middlefield Road, where the suspect reportedly lifted his shirt to reveal a handgun and made threats during a heated exchange.
How police traced the case
According to investigators, surveillance video from the store backed up the victim’s account and helped them identify the driver as 43-year-old Jason Howk Chin. Detectives then secured search warrants for Chin himself, his Menlo Park home, and his vehicles following the Feb. 11 incident, Patch reported.
Traffic stop and searches
Officers say they first tried to contact Chin on the night of the confrontation, but he declined to speak with them. Detectives later pulled him over as he drove away from his Menlo Park residence with his wife and two children in the car.
During that traffic stop, a search of the vehicle allegedly turned up a concealed, loaded firearm, according to the SM Daily Journal.
Weapons found inside a child's bedroom
Detectives then searched Chin’s home. Inside a bedroom that had both adult and child sleeping areas and was filled with toys, officers say they found a loaded AR‑15‑style rifle and a loaded handgun sitting on an exposed lower shelf.
Investigators told Patch they were particularly concerned that the weapons were readily accessible to the children who lived there.
Legal note
Chin was booked on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle and child endangerment, charges that can carry significant penalties under California law. State rules for carrying concealed weapons are outlined in the Penal Code provisions available through California Legislative Information. The child endangerment law, Penal Code section 273a, is explained separately at California Legislative Information and can be charged either as a misdemeanor or a felony depending on whether the conduct is likely to cause great bodily harm.
What happens next
Redwood City police say Chin was booked into the Maguire Correctional Facility in San Mateo County on the weapons and child endangerment allegations and was released by Thursday afternoon, according to the SM Daily Journal.
Detectives have asked anyone with additional information about the case to call Redwood City police at (650) 780‑7100.
The arrest comes amid a run of road-rage busts around the Bay Area, a trend that has local officers reminding drivers that a honk and a deep breath are usually safer than escalating a fight. NBC Bay Area recently reported on another case in which a seemingly routine traffic dustup ended in an arrest, and law enforcement agencies continue to urge motorists to avoid confrontations whenever possible.
