San Bernardino police seeking stolen gun find it in 3-year-old’s hand

Detectives had arrived at the home in San Bernardino on Tuesday hot on the trail of a loaded gun stolen from a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy.

As they spoke to a woman inside, her 3-year-old daughter walked out of a bedroom holding the loaded Glock with a tactical light. Authorities said she pointed it at the investigators.

The girl did not pull the trigger, and they were able to take the gun.

The heat-packing child’s mother, Kimberly Torres, 20, was arrested, said San Bernardino police Lt. Rich Lawhead. Her daughter was taken by county child and family services, he said.

“Obviously it’s a jaw-dropper for something like that to happen,” Lawhead said. “This could have ended much differently.”

The incident was the culmination of five days of detective work by San Bernardino officers.

The case began May 7, when two guns and other police equipment were stolen from the deputy’s car while he was inside a local business. Police caught a break later that day when an officer pulled over 25-year-old Ramon Quintero and searched the car. One of the deputy’s guns and some equipment were inside and Quintero was arrested for the crime, Lawhead said.

The car Quintero was driving was registered to Torres, which is why detectives went to her home Tuesday, Lawhead said.

Torres was booked on suspicion of child endangerment likely to produce bodily injury and possession of stolen property. Jail records show she was bailed out Wednesday morning.

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