Felon with loaded firearm arrested in Merced, police say

A man was arrested Tuesday after police found a loaded firearm inside a vehicle, according to authorities.

At about 12:52 a.m., officers observed a vehicle with a false license plate tab driving in the 1100 block of Olivewood Drive, according to a Merced Police Department Facebook post.

The officers made contact with the driver of the vehicle identified as 47-year-old Joe Ellis and found his license to be suspended.

During a search of the vehicle, officers discovered a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun with no serial number hidden in a backpack, police said.

Ellis is a person prohibited from possessing any firearms, police said.

He was arrested and booked into the Merced County Jail on suspicion of felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, possession of a firearm with no serial number, suspended license, false tabs and possession of a hypodermic needle, according to police.

Merced Police ask anyone with information regarding the alleged crime to contact Officer Shaw at 209-388-7766 or by email at shawj@cityofmerced.org.

This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 6:42 PM.