Loaded gun found near children in Watsonville

A loaded gun is off the streets of Watsonville, after a traffic stop.

Police say it started Sunday just after 5:00 p.m., when an officer conducted a traffic stop on a Mercedes Benz at the intersection of Santa Clara St and Napa St for a vehicle code violation.

The driver then accelerated south on Santa Clara St and sharply turned onto Marin Street without stopping at the stop sign. The Officer was able to stop the Mercedes at the 100-block of Marin Street.

The driver, 20-year-old German Guzman and front passenger, 19-year-old Jovanie Fuentes were detained.

Officers searched the route the vehicle had traveled and located a loaded semi-automatic pistol that had been thrown on the ground near a residential driveway on Marin Street.

Officers were able to confiscate the firearm before any children that were playing in the area had a chance to find it.