Police: 15-year-old found with handgun in Modesto

Modesto police responding to a report of shots fired during a fight found a teenager with a semiautomatic handgun.

According to Lt. Jolene Gonzales, police were called to the 1200 block of California Avenue at 12:30 a.m. Sunday. "Officers located two shotgun shells in the middle of the street," she said. "They also found an unoccupied white Acura with the windows smashed."

Officers stopped a car that was driving away; under the passenger's seat they found a 9 mm Ruger semiautomatic handgun. A 15-year-old in the car said the gun was his "because he thought it was cool to have," Gonzales said.

He was booked at Juvenile Hall on weapons charges. "Officers took another gun off the street and possibly prevented anything else from happening," Gonzales said.