Vallejo police officers responded to the 300 block of Avian Drive at approximately 2:58 PM last Monday for a reported domestic violence incident, and what they found led them to a stolen handgun hidden in bushes just beneath a bedroom window. A woman told officers that an argument with the suspect had escalated into a physical altercation, and officers observed a visible injury on her when they arrived.
According to the Vallejo Police Department, the suspect had already left the area in a white Ford by the time officers arrived, with a VPD communications operator relaying that detail to responding units. A responding officer located the vehicle near Columbus Parkway and Hilary Way and detained the suspect without incident before advising him of his Miranda rights. Officers also confirmed that an active restraining order protected the victim from the suspect.
K9 Stryker Zeroes In On The Bushes
Back at the Avian Drive residence, the victim reported that the suspect had previously placed what appeared to be a firearm outside near the bedroom window, according to the police account. VPD K9 Stryker searched outside the apartment and alerted to a bush directly beneath that same window, where officers recovered a firearm. The gun was seized and booked into evidence.
Stryker and his handler, Officer Lopez, completed the Top Dog Basic Handler Course with honors in 2024 after the Syar Foundation donated $40,000 to expand the department's K9 program, as Hoodline has reported previously. A records check revealed the firearm had been reported stolen out of Richmond. The suspect confirmed the gun was his, told officers he had never fired it, and said he did not know whether it was operational, but he did not explain how he obtained it.
Facing Multiple Felony Exposure
The suspect was arrested on charges related to both the domestic violence investigation and the firearm possession, and was booked into Solano County Jail, per the department's statement. All allegations remain accusations at this stage, pending judicial review. Under California Penal Code Section 273.5(a), willfully inflicting a corporal injury that produces a visible or internal injury on a current or former intimate partner is a wobbler offense punishable by up to four years in state prison, according to the Kraut Law Group.
Separately, Penal Code Section 29825 makes it illegal to possess or attempt to purchase a firearm while subject to a domestic violence protective order, a violation that can be charged as a misdemeanor or felony, carrying potential state prison time, per the Hedding Law Firm. And because the recovered handgun had been reported stolen in Richmond, the suspect also faces potential liability under Penal Code Section 496(a), which criminalizes receiving, concealing, or withholding stolen property; the Shouse Law Group notes that charge is a wobbler carrying up to three years in prison if the person knew or had reason to know the item was stolen.
A Pattern Of Hidden Weapons In Vallejo
This is not the first time this month that Vallejo officers have found a suspect stashing an illegal firearm outdoors during a police encounter. Earlier in August, officers made a felony arrest after a suspect involved in a separate dispute handed off a loaded stolen handgun to be hidden in nearby bushes, a case Hoodline covered in its report on a stolen gun pointed at a driver. The 300 block of Avian Drive itself has seen serious police activity before, including a June 2025 arrest of a registered sex offender and a September 2024 homicide investigation that led to murder charges on the same block.
Domestic Violence Reports Climbing Citywide
The Avian Drive incident lands amid a broader rise in domestic violence reports across Vallejo. Data presented to the city's Public Safety Council Subcommittee in January showed reported domestic violence cases in Vallejo climbed to 437 in 2025, up from 385 the year before, with repeat offenders rising from 28 to 43, according to the Vallejo Sun. The outlet also reported that Vallejo currently has no operational emergency domestic violence shelters within city limits, leaving local victims to seek safe housing elsewhere in Solano County.
Regional victim services have also seen changes. The Solano County Family Justice Center in Fairfield underwent a major administrative overhaul after the nonprofit Contra Costa Family Justice Center Alliance took it over following a 2021 Grand Jury investigation into county mismanagement, the same outlet reported. Closer to home, the Superior Court of Solano County announced in April a new partnership placing a domestic violence advocate from the Victims Empowerment Support Team inside the Vallejo Courthouse at 321 Tuolumne Street to help litigants with restraining orders and safety planning.
Anyone facing an immediate domestic violence threat is urged to call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline offers confidential support and additional resources 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 800-799-SAFE (7233), and further local resources are available through vallejopd.net and thehotline.org.
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