Gang member arrested after brandishing gun in Oxnard

OXNARD, Calif. (KABC) -- A documented gang member was arrested after police said he brandished a gun in an Oxnard neighborhood on Christmas Day.

Oxnard police received a call about a man with a gun challenging people in the 200 block of Wilson Avenue shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday. The man and several others fled the area in a gray Chrysler 300 sedan before police arrived on the scene.

Approximately an hour later, a patrol unit spotted the suspect vehicle and conducted a traffic stop in the 1000 block of Colonia Road. Four people in the vehicle were detained and the car was searched. Investigators found a stolen semi-automatic handgun as well as other evidence connecting those in the car to the incident.

One of the occupants of the vehicle was Juan Contreras, who was identified by witnesses as the man who was brandishing the gun on Wilson Avenue. He was arrested and booked into the Ventura County Jail for several firearms-related violations.

Investigators said Contreras is a documented member of a criminal street gang.

Police said a juvenile who was in the car was also arrested for a probation violation and sent to the Juvenile Justice Center.