2 pistols, illegal fireworks seized from East Palo Alto home: sheriff
Jul 03, 2024
(KRON) -- The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office seized two pistols and a set of illegal fireworks from an East Palo Alto home. Two men were arrested after the seizure.
Bay Area: Several 4th of July celebrations canceled amid fire concerns
In May, the sheriff's office's Gang and Investigations Unit learned that people were selling illegal fireworks out of their East Palo Alto home in the 1100 block of O'Connor Street.
On June 19, the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force, the San Mateo County Vehicle Theft Task Force, and the East Palo Alto Police Department served a search warrant at the home.
The search yielded "illegal fireworks, a stolen semi-automatic pistol, and an unregistered semi-automatic pistol." Police said they also arrested two individuals.
The first suspect, 47-year-old Froylan Vazquez, was arrested and booked into the Maguire Correctional Facility. The East Palo Alto resident was booked for owning a stolen firearm and illegal fireworks.
The second suspect, 23-year-old Antonio Torres-Vasquez, was cited for possessing illegal fireworks.
This seizure was part of a larger effort to enforce a "zero-tolerance" approach toward Fourth of July celebrations. This included a series of anonymous fireworks buyback events during June that resulted in more than 700 pounds of illegal fireworks and explosives being removed from San Mateo County’s streets.