SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Police have arrested a Santa Cruz man they say reached for a handgun as officers were talking to him, and they say he was not allowed to possess a gun in the first place.
So where did he get the gun? Police say he told them he bought it at a gun show.
Santa Cruz Police responded to 62-year-old Donald Jackson's apartment in the 1300 block of Pacific Avenue around 3:40 a.m. Thursday after they received a 911 hang-up call.
As officers spoke with Jackson at his front door, he pulled up his shirt and grabbed for a revolver in a holster tucked inside the waistband of his pants, police say.
Officers say they wrestled the handgun away from Jackson and tackled him to the ground. He was arrested and booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail.
Police say Jackson is not legally eligible to purchase, own or possess firearms due to previous detentions.
According to the police department, Jackson told the responding officers that he bought the single action Colt .45 caliber revolver at a gun show held at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds this past Sunday.
In spite of the age of the handgun, it was fully functional, police say. Investigators are still researching the history of the firearm and how the suspect came to possess it.
Jackson had previously been detained by Santa Cruz Police in February. In that instance, Jackson was transported to Dominican Hospital Behavioral Health Unit after officers were called to his apartment by neighbors who said he was yelling and pounding on walls.
