Man arrested on gun charges after reports of shots fired in Watsonville

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION) A man was arrested on gun charges after Watsonville police responded to reports of shots fired.

Last week, officers responded to River park on East Front Street when a disturbance was reported. 911 dispatchers told them a man in a red shirt was waving a gun and shots had been fired.

When they got there, officers said they saw 42-year-old Irineo Ramirez near an SUV with his right hand hidden while his left arm was in the air.

Because they thought Ramirez was armed, they got out their guns and told him to show his hands and drop what he was holding. Ramirez put down a revolver after commands to drop it and obeyed orders to lie on the ground.

Ramirez was arrested, and police said he admitted to shooting one round into the air. Nobody was hurt and the only damages reported were to Ramirez' SUV. Officers said they also found a replica gun in the vehicle.

Ramirez was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail and charged with unlawfully discharging a gun and other gun charges.