Loaded Handgun Found at Open Los Alamitos Preschool
A loaded 9-millimeter pistol was found hidden under a doormat at a Los Alamitos preschool Thursday after toddlers tried unsuccessfully to push the door open, police said.
Discovery of the Ruger semiautomatic weapon, with a magazine full of cartridges, by adults at the preschool averted possible disaster, said Los Alamitos Police Capt. Todd Mattern.
“The gun was loaded. There was a bullet in the chamber. The safety was off. It was ready to fire,” Mattern said. “If someone had pulled the trigger, it would have fired.”
Police believe the gun, which was stolen during a 1994 liquor store robbery in Lindsay, Calif., was ditched by an auto theft suspect when police dogs tracked him to the playground of Rossmoor Pre-School on Reagan Street.
The suspect, Michael Melendez, 19, of Paramount was arrested about 1:30 a.m. Thursday after he surrendered nearby.
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