Photo: Getty Images
Officers arrested an 18-year-old man who admitted that he had vandalized a Petco in Bell Gardens on June 8, tagging the east exterior wall of the building with gang graffiti, authorities said today.
While in the midst of their investigation, Bell Gardens police gang detectives pulled over Gabriel Morales and a female occupant in Huntington Park on Wednesday and located an unregistered, loaded 9mm handgun inside the vehicle, according to Sgt. John Acosta of the Bell Gardens Police Department.
The vehicle, authorities believe, was connected to a June 8 vandalism investigation at Petco, at 6810 Eastern Ave., where officers discovered ``moderate'' gang graffiti to the east exterior of the building, Acosta said. During his arrest, Morales admitted that the handgun belonged to him and he also admitted he was involved in the vandalism at Petco, the sergeant said.
``Morales was subsequently placed under arrest for felony vandalism and for several gun charges,'' he said. ``It should be noted that Morales is a self-admitted gang member of a Bell Gardens criminal street gang.''
Photo Credit- Getty Images