A suspected Hunters Point gang member was arrested Monday on charges that he posed with a firearm in a photograph that was brazenly posted on the Internet, according to police.

As a felon, 19-year-old Marckys Mendez of Redwood City isn’t allowed to possess a gun. That apparently didn’t cross his mind when he posed for a picture that was published for the whole world to see.

Investigators reportedly arrested Mendez and two juveniles and seized two .40 caliber handguns on the very same night the photo was taken and posted. Mendez pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday.

The photo reportedly appeared on a popular social networking site that investigators have not named.

The investigation began Monday when police were tipped off to the photo, which allegedly showed the suspects flashing gang signs as they posed with two firearms.

Investigators recognized the suspects as gang members who frequent the area of Westpoint and Middlepoint roads in Hunters Point.

Locating the home where the photo was taken wasn’t too difficult, police said. At 9:20 p.m. that night, officers drove around the neighborhood looking for a window with “very distinctive camouflage curtains,” just as was seen in the background of the photograph in question.

Identical curtains were spotted in the rear window of an apartment in the unit block of Hare Court, where Mendez and the juveniles were found and arrested.

The .40-caliber handguns in question were tossed out of that window as soon as officers knocked on the front door, police said.

“A record check revealed both firearms had been reported as stolen,” police said.

According to court documents, Mendez became a felon after escaping from a San Mateo County jail last year.

Bay Area NewsCrimeCrime & CourtsHunter's PointMarckys MendezSan Francisco Police Department

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