Weapons, ammo found in traffic stop

AUBURN, Wash. – State troopers confiscated rifles, ammunition, gunpowder and a nonexplosive grenade from a wanted felon whose car was pulled over Friday on a highway near a suburban shopping mall.

The 45-year-old Auburn man was pulled over for a license plate violation and arrested on three felony warrants, patrol spokesman Jeff Merrill said. The tabs on the man’s Jeep Cherokee apparently were from another vehicle.

“He had a female passenger and said he was headed to his house” nearby, Merrill said. “We don’t have anything that leads us to believe he was headed anywhere with this arsenal.”

State troopers initially thought they had found a live grenade, but bomb specialists said the item was not explosive. “It may’ve been a smoke (grenade) or an empty one. Our bomb guy just told me it was nonexplosive,” Merrill said.

Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives technicians agreed there were no explosive devices at the scene, ATF spokeswoman Julianne Marshall said.

The man’s name was being withheld until the investigation is complete, Merrill said.

Troopers recovered two rifles, two shotguns, a container of gunpowder, a quantity of crystal methamphetamine, approximately a dozen swords and knives and a number of fully loaded AR-15 or M-16 magazines for automatic or semiautomatic weapons, Merrill said. The magazines did not belong to the four recovered firearms, he said.

The traffic stop was made on State Highway 167 near the SuperMall of the Great Northwest.