A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a "ghost gun" in San Marcos, authorities said Saturday.
Neighbors called law enforcement just after 11 p.m. Friday to report a group of suspicious people in the 500 block of Spanish Oak Avenue, said Sgt. Nicholas Arvanitis of the sheriff's San Marcos station.
Deputies contacted four people hanging around a pickup truck, Arvanitis said.
"During the contact, a handgun loaded with bullets were clearly visible on the passenger seat," he said. "The firearm turned out to be a ghost gun."
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
Tristan Banuelos, the driver of the pickup truck, was arrested on suspicion of carrying a loaded gun in a public place or public street and owning or possessing a gun without a serial number, he said.
"Unlike weapons made by a licensed manufacturer, ghost guns don't have a serial number or other identifiable markings," Arvanitis said.
"The lack of a serial number makes it extremely challenging for law enforcement agencies to track these firearms to their owner or maker, hindering or delaying investigations and crime-solving efforts."
