Traffic stop turns up grenade launcher in San Diego

SAN DIEGO — A routine traffic stop in a residential neighborhood in San Diego earlier this month turned up a couple of unusual items, most notably a small grenade launcher, San Diego police said Wednesday.

In a Twitter post, the department shared photos of the finds made in the 11 p.m. Oct. 15 traffic stop in Del Cerro. A search of the car also turned up a stun gun that looked like a cellphone, and a loaded handgun.

Officers stopped the vehicle for expired tags, Sgt. Matthew Botkin said. The driver had a suspended license. The owner of the car was in the passenger seat.

Officers found a loaded handgun in the glove box, Botkin said. In a backpack in the front seat, they found an M203 grenade launcher, which is illegal in California. The grenade launcher can be attached to a rifle and can shoot 40 mm rounds.

Botkin said officers also found illegal drugs in the vehicle.

Both occupants of the car were arrested on suspicion of multiple counts, and at least one was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a gun.

Figueroa writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.