NEWS RELEASE
DATE: March 16th, 2023 (5:36 PM)
SUBJECT: Driver Arrested for Possessing Stolen Handgun; Passenger Arrested for Possessing Concealed Handgun
SUSPECTS: Timothy Cortez, 28-year-old Oxnard resident
Aiden Orozco, 19-year-old Oxnard resident
LOCATION: Perkins Rd. at Clara St., Oxnard
CONTACT: Bakari Myers, Sergeant
(805) 797-6202 | [email protected]
On March 16th, at approximately 5:36 p.m., officers from the Oxnard Special Enforcement Unit (Gang Unit) conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for a suspected traffic violation at Perkins Rd. and Clara St. While contacting the driver, identified as Timothy Cortez, officers could smell a strong odor of burnt marijuana and also observed a marijuana pipe with burnt marijuana residue in the vehicle. As officers opened the driver door to remove Cortez from the vehicle, officers observed a semi-automatic handgun in the map pocket of the driver door. Cortez was arrested for possessing the concealed handgun. Officers conducted a record check on the serial number to the handgun and learned that it had been reported stolen in the city of Ventura. Officers removed the right front passenger, Aiden Orozco, from the vehicle to complete the vehicle search. Officers found a second semi-automatic handgun concealed underneath the right front passenger seat. Orozco was also arrested for firearms possession.
The Oxnard Police Department’s Special Enforcement Unit is committed to reducing gang crimes and gun violence in the City of Oxnard through the strict enforcement of laws specifically targeting known, active gang members residing in the city. Anyone with information regarding this case or other criminal activity is encouraged to contact the Oxnard Police Department at (805) 385-7600, or online via the Oxnard Police Department’s website: www.oxnardpd.org, and clicking on Report Suspicious Activity. You can remain anonymous if you choose to do so. You can remain anonymous by calling the Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. You can also visit this site: www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org to submit a tip via text or email.