Police arrested a convicted felon and seized a handgun early Saturday morning after conducting a traffic stop for a seatbelt infraction.
Just after 1:00 a.m., police stopped a car in the 1900 block of Pike Place for a seatbelt violation – there were two women in the front passenger seat and neither was wearing the available seatbelt. Officers spoke with the passengers and the driver, and quickly suspected the driver was intoxicated. Officers asked the driver to step out of the car to perform voluntary field sobriety tests, and when he exited the vehicle police could see a handgun on the floorboard. Police safely seized the loaded weapon and 13 rounds of ammunition.
A records check confirmed the driver is a convicted felon and is therefore prohibited from having a gun. The 45-year-old man was arrested and booked into the King County Jail for unlawful possession of a firearm.