Deputies at Apple Valley Airshow surround vehicle, seize illegal tactical gear
Sheriff’s deputies at the Apple Valley Airshow were seen surrounding a black vehicle and seizing illegal tactical gear. A Hesperia man was arrested.
At about 11:40 a.m. on Saturday, deputies just outside the gate of the Apple Valley Airport, approached a black Dodge Ram and began questioning the driver.
A records check of the driver, Christopher Lee Gallegos, 36, of Hesperia, revealed his driver’s license was suspended, according to sheriff's officials.
Deputies searched the vehicle before towing it. Inside the Dodge, deputies said they found a gas mask, three body armor vests and a retractable baton. Gallegos was also found with a U.S. Army uniform, which had his name on it and Ranger patches.
Gallegos is not on active duty in the military nor is he a veteran. He was wearing the uniform while attending the Apple Valley Air Show, deputies said.
Air Force veteran Brian Basen of Apple Valley, who attended the airshow, told the Daily Press that he overheard deputies discussing the seizure of “illegal tactical gear” from the vehicle that was parked near the intersection of Corwin and Ramona roads, and near the entrance to the airport.
“When I left, I saw the hood of a sheriff’s cruiser piled with black tactical gear. I couldn’t make out what the items were,” Basen said. “One deputy told me that it was ‘bad stuff’ that nobody should have.”
Gallegos was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of a collapsible baton, fake military décor, and driving with a suspended license. He was booked into High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto and is being held without bail, police stated.
Tactical gear
Tactical gear is a broad term to describe items of clothing or accessories that serve a tactical purpose, such as for survival, hunting, or for law enforcement. The federal and some state governments regulate which types of tactical gear people can and cannot own.
In September, Gov. Gavin Newsom approved Assembly Bill 92, a body armor prohibition for those banned from possessing a firearm, state officials said.
Existing law authorizes a person subject to that prohibition, whose employment, livelihood, or safety is dependent on the ability to legally possess and use body armor, to file a petition for an exception to the prohibition with the chief of police or county sheriff of the jurisdiction in which the person seeks to possess and use the body armor, as provided, the state reported.
This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Deputies at Apple Valley Airshow surround vehicle, seize tactical gear
