Gun-toting suspect hid rifle in a guitar case, police in Northern California say

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A man in Northern California is drawing comparisons to actor Antonio Banderas’ character “El Mariachi” by online commentators after Richmond police said they found him carrying a guitar case hiding a loaded rifle.

According to a Richmond Police Department social media post on Tuesday, officers responded to the area of 16th Street and Livingston Avenue to a report of a man walking around with a concealed rifle.

When they arrived, they found a man in the area and detained him while they continued to investigate, police said. Nearby, they found a guitar case with a loaded Ruger Mini-14 .223-caliber semi-automatic rifle inside, the department said.

Police said the man had gotten into an argument with someone earlier and had flashed the weapon at them. The man was then taken into custody, police said. The person’s identity and details on their booking charges were not immediately available.

The incident drew comments on Facebook, comparing it to the films “El Mariachi” and “Desperado” in which Banderas plays a character who hides guns inside a guitar case.

“Thanks to the quick response and coordinated actions of our officers, the suspect was safely taken into custody, a dangerous firearm was removed from the streets, and no one was injured,” the department’s post said.

Richmond Police did not immediately respond to a request for more information.

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Summer Lin is a reporter on the Fast Break Desk, the Los Angeles Times’ breaking news team. Before coming to The Times, she covered breaking news for the Mercury News and national politics for McClatchy’s publications, including the Miami Herald. An East Coast native, Lin moved to California after graduating from Boston College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Lin was among The Times’ staff members who covered the Monterey Park mass shooting in 2023, which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in breaking news.

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