Santa Rosa police arrested two men Saturday night following a high-stakes traffic stop on Guerneville Road.
Around 7:30 p.m., officers pulled over a vehicle and utilized a K9 unit to conduct a search, which uncovered a loaded, unregistered handgun classified as an assault weapon.
The passengers, 27-year-old Israel Birkey and 24-year-old Edward Beltran, were taken into custody on multiple weapons charges. While the two men were booked into jail, the driver of the vehicle was released at the scene.
This arrest marks another successful effort by local law enforcement to remove illegal firearms from the community.
