LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA – Being out on the road at 4:00am probably isn’t the most glamorous job in policing.
But as the Lafayette Police Department shared, it’s a great time to nab people who are toting guns and up to no good.
Two early-morning traffic stops over the first weekend of 2026 ended with three arrests after officers reported finding hidden firearms, drugs, and (in one case) suspected stolen mail inside the vehicles.
In a statement shared by the Lafayette Police Department, the first stop happened Friday, January 2, 2026 at about 4:30 a.m. on Mt. Diablo Boulevard. Officers pulled over a vehicle for a reported vehicle code violation and said they located a hidden firearm during the stop.
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Police said the suspect was a 31-year-old Berkeley resident, arrested on multiple charges including carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle and possession of controlled substances/narcotics, then booked into the Martinez Detention Facility.
A second stop occurred Saturday, January 3, 2026 at about 2:30 a.m., near Deer Hill Road and the State Route 24 on-ramp, police said. Officers again initiated a stop for a reported vehicle code violation and said they found a hidden firearm, stolen mail, and paraphernalia inside the vehicle.
Police said the suspects were a 45-year-old Richmond resident and a 42-year-old Vallejo resident, arrested on multiple charges including carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle, petty theft, mail theft, and possession of unlawful paraphernalia. Both were booked into the Martinez Detention Facility, police said.
The department expressed thanks to the hardworking officers are out all night keeping us safe.
