Ventura County – As if the Oxnard Police Department and its very active Special Enforcement Unit didn’t have enough difficulty pursuing its mission of controlling the rampaging gun violence currently threatening the tranquility of everyone on the city streets, even the enforcement of minor traffic violations continues to reveal the extent of the problem. Whether the current protocol of strict police enforcement of all laws on the books specifically focused upon the significant population of active gang members in the city is having its intended effect remains undetermined, particularly considering the current homicide rate within the municipality.
Evidence of the ubiquity of the problem came once again in the early evening of April 27th, when, according to OPD spokesman Sgt. Tim Kelley, Special Enforcement Unit officers just happened to spot a U-haul rental pickup truck blowing a stop sign at a residential intersection. A routine traffic stop ensued, and contact was made with Fabian Ramirez, the truck’s 28-year old driver. When Ramirez failed to establish that he was driving on a valid driver’s license—his was under suspension—officers then proceeded to conduct a search of the pickup truck, revealing “a loaded handgun concealed inside.”
Because Ramirez, an Oxnard resident known to law enforcement as an active Oxnard gang member, had a prior felony conviction, he’s not supposed to even be in proximity to firearms, particularly the loaded variety; when the cops saw that the serial numbers on the pistol had been obliterated, that only compounded their concerns to the point that he was arrested at the scene.
Ramirez was summarily transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on charges of possession of a loaded and concealed firearm, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He is currently on a no-bail hold.
