Just after midnight Thursday in Santa Fe Springs, a routine traffic stop turned into something much more serious when Whittier Police Department officers say they found a loaded handgun with an extended magazine and a nitrous oxide tank in a vehicle. The driver was arrested after officers determined there was an outstanding warrant tied to a firearms offense. No shots were fired and no injuries were reported.
According to the Whittier Police Department, officers recovered the loaded gun, the extended magazine and the nitrous oxide tank during the stop, then took the driver into custody on an outstanding warrant for Penal Code 25850(a). The department posted photos of the seized items but did not identify the person arrested or list formal charges.
What Officers Found and the Laws Involved
Penal Code 25850 makes it a crime to carry a loaded firearm on a person or in a vehicle in a public place, and it is the statute referenced in the warrant, according to California Legislative Information. The law also lets officers check a firearm during a stop to see whether it is loaded, a common step in traffic and pedestrian encounters. Police say the handgun recovered in Santa Fe Springs was equipped with an extended magazine, and California generally restricts the possession, sale and import of so-called large-capacity magazines, per the California Department of Justice.
Nitrous Oxide and Public-Safety Concerns
Nitrous oxide is widely used in medical and industrial settings, but recreational inhalation has become more common and can cause serious problems such as hypoxia and neurological injury, according to the Oregon Poison Center. Health officials warn that inhaling the gas directly from small canisters or larger tanks can lead to loss of consciousness and other acute complications.
Investigation and Next Steps
The Whittier Police Department says the case remains under investigation and that officers are continuing follow-up. The department has not released the arrestee’s name or listed specific charges beyond the outstanding warrant. Officials say additional information will be shared through the department’s official channels as it becomes available.
Whittier Police provides patrol and investigative services to Santa Fe Springs under a contract with the city, and the department’s Santa Fe Springs unit handled this traffic stop. This story will be updated if the department or prosecutors release more details.
