A Salvadorean national has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition after a standoff at a Fresno hotel.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Helan Noel Lopez-Sanchez, 32 and a citizen of El Salvador, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The big picture: Law enforcement officers received information that Lopez-Sanchez, a felon who had escaped police custody, was located at a Motel 6 on Jan. 16 after he logged into his Snapchat account.
- The Fresno Sheriff’s Office’s SWAT team served an arrest warrant at the Motel 6.
- The SWAT team sent a drone into the motel room and observed Lopez-Sanchez with a rifle pointing the rifle at the door.
- Law enforcement officers took Lopez-Sanchez into custody and located a short-barreled, privately manufactured rifle and ammunition.
- Lopez Sanchez is already prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of felony convictions, which included bringing alcohol or drugs into a jail, as well as grand theft.
What we’re watching: Lopez-Sanchez faces a maximum of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
