Upon investigation it turned out that the weapon was a replica.Lt. Saviers said that the circumstances of the gun being spotted are vague: “Maybe he was just holding it up and looking at it,” when someone saw what they believed to be a real weapon.“You’re going to get our attention real quick if someone calls and says that someone is showing a gun around,” Lt. Saviers noted. “These replica guns look so real nowadays if a person is waving it around or holding it and someone sees it they’re going to call the police.”Lt. Saviers said that incident was over in about 15 minutes.Saturday’s incident is just the latest of rising reports to the SPPD of handguns - often in the possession of children and juveniles - that are found to be replicas.According to a witness, one of the two unidentified subjects in the vehicle was a young boy about 12 years old and the male driving the vehicle appeared to be a relative.
Latest incident of replica weapon leads to major SPPD response
September 12, 2007
Santa Paula Police Department
Santa Paula Police briefly closed a portion of a main thoroughfare during a major response after it was reported that a man had been spotted with a gun near a West Harvard Boulevard shopping center, according to a SPPD spokesman.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesSanta Paula Police briefly closed a portion of a main thoroughfare during a major response after it was reported that a man had been spotted with a gun near a West Harvard Boulevard shopping center, according to a SPPD spokesman.The gun turned out to be a fake, said SPPD Lt. Mike Saviers.The SPPD received a report of a man holding a gun and sitting in a car in the area of 110 W. Harvard Blvd. and Vernon Way - near Seeber’s Pharmacy - at 1:15 p.m. on Sept. 8.The SPPD “shut down westbound traffic at Palm Avenue,” and probably rerouted eastbound traffic as part of the response said Lt. Saviers.SPPD Officers conducted a high-risk stop on the vehicle and found two subjects inside.
