Man arrested with loaded gun at Merced carnival, police say

A man was arrested on weapons-related allegations following a disturbance at a carnival in Merced.

At about 11:24 p.m. on Friday, officers responded to the 900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way for a report of a large disturbance involving multiple people, according to a Merced Police Sgt. Tony Aponte.

Trevor Thomas Jr., 21, was contacted by officers at the carnival who found a loaded 9mm semi-automatic “non-serialized polymer 80 handgun” during a search, according to a news release.

Thomas was not directly connected to the original disturbance, according to the release.

He was arrested on suspicion of illegal possession of a loaded firearm in public, and the firearm was seized as evidence, according to authorities.

Anyone with information regarding this alleged crime is asked to contact Officer Chavez at 209-385-6905 or by email at chaveze@cityofmerced.org.

Anonymous tips can be left for police by calling 209-385-4725, and some crimes can be reported through the Merced Police Department website.

Anonymous tips can be left for law enforcement online at the Merced Area Crime Stoppers website.

This story was originally published July 5, 2021 at 1:59 PM.