Merced police arrest man for possession of loaded firearm

A 27-year-old man was arrested early Saturday for possession of a loaded firearm while on probation and possession of a firearm with an altered serial number, the Merced Police Department reported.

Van Xiong and a passenger, whose name was not released, were stopped in a black Honda Civic del Sol on the 1800 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way for a burned-out headlight a little after 2 a.m., Merced police said in a news release.

Xiong told police that he was on probation and that there was a gun in his car. During a probation search, officers located a .22-caliber revolver under his seat. Officers also found methamphetamine inside the passenger’s purse, the release said.

According to police, Xiong admitted the gun was his and was booked at the Merced County jail.

This story was originally published October 3, 2015 at 12:32 PM with the headline "Merced police arrest man for possession of loaded firearm."