A 29-year-old man suspected of trying to force his way into a Banning home while armed with a stolen handgun was being held Monday in lieu of $25,000 bail.
Douglas Sose Salazar of Hemet was arrested and booked into the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning Saturday on suspicion of possession of controlled substances while armed, possession of a stolen gun, concealing a firearm and receiving stolen property
According to the Banning Police Department, about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Salazar went to a residence in the 800 block of Latitude Road, near Raven Way, and allegedly tried pushing his way in through the front door.
The attempt was unsuccessful, and the resident, whose name was not disclosed, called 911, after which Banning patrol units converged on the area, police said.
Salazar was spotted a short time later walking in a nearby neighborhood and was taken into custody without incident, according to investigators.
“During the contact, officers located a loaded semiautomatic handgun, 88 rounds of ammunition, a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia,” according to a police statement. “The gun was reported to be stolen out of West Virginia.”
The suspect may have been the same individual going door-to-door, harassing residents, earlier in the night, but authorities were not certain.
Background information on Salazar was not available, and there was no word on why he allegedly targeted the residence.