Man arrested in Petaluma with multiple guns, including possible DIY assault weapon

Petaluma police said they arrested a man on Wednesday who was allegedly found to have a loaded assault-style gun, multiple other weapons and several high-capacity magazines in his vehicle.

The man, 19-year-old Christopher Middleton, was said to have an assault rifle equipped with a loaded 30-round magazine, three additional 30-round magazines including one partially loaded, an unloaded shotgun, an unloaded rifle and approximately 500 rounds of ammunition in the vehicle at the time of his arrest in Petaluma, according to Petaluma Police Department Sgt. Paul Gilman.

Police also said they found a gas mask, knit ski mask, a “military-type” backpack and canteens in the vehicle, a black GMC Yukon registered under Middleton.

Officers arrested Middleton at the Rocky Memorial Dog Park on West Casa Grande Road without incident after a caller reported that the suspect had threatened him with a gun during an argument while the two were driving south on Highway 101 from Santa Rosa. The two were said to ultimately end up at the dog park, where the victim left Middleton and reported the incident to police, according to an announcement by the Petaluma Police Department.

Officers arrived at the park with guns drawn and set up a perimeter around the area, according to police. Middleton was said to be parked in the south part of the parking lot and was standing next to his car, where police said he was arrested around 4:40 p.m.

Middleton did not have the assault weapon on him when police arrived, but told police he had been pointing it at trees shortly before his arrest, Gilman said.

The suspect has no known connections to any hate or terror groups, Gilman said. Middleton was described as a transient, and Gilman said police are looking into connections to past residences, including his most recent address in Forestville and past residences in and around Santa Rosa.

Gilman described the assault weapon as an AR-15-style gun capable of firing .223-caliber bullets. It is a similar style weapon to the one used the deadly Orlando nightclub shooting that left dozens dead on the morning of June 12, less than a week prior.

“There’s not a whole lot that is going to stop that kind of bullet,” Sgt. Gilman said.

On the same day as the recent shooting in Orlando, police in Santa Monica arrested a 20-year-old man who was allegedly found to have multiple assault rifles, high-capacity magazines and bomb making materials in his car. The suspect in that case, James Wesley Howell, 20, was said to have told officers he was on the way to a gay pride event, though his motives remained unknown.

Police are still investigating how Middleton came into possession of the firearms, though Gilman said the suspect described the weapons as “ghost guns.” The term has emerged in recent years to describe a category of sophisticated home-made firearms often purchased in a close-to-finished state, which can allow the weapons to fly under the radar of authorities.

Semi-automatic AR-15-style rifles are illegal to purchase or sell in California, though it is legal to own one purchased legally elsewhere and registered here in the state.

A search of the car turned up suspected bomb-making materials, prompting a call to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office bomb squad, police said. Using a robot, Sheriff’s Office personnel determined that they were inert parts of fireworks.