Morgan Hill officers arrested a man with a replica gun late Saturday night in an incident that highlights the danger of altering or displaying toy firearms in a threatening manner, according to police.
At 12:25 a.m. Dec. 28, Morgan Hill police received a call about a man with a gun on the 100 block of Cosmo Avenue, according to a Dec. 29 press release.
Officers responded and immediately recognized Timothy Camarillo, 19 of Morgan Hill, who was standing in the street.
Camarillo saw an officer exit his vehicle and shoved his hand into his waistband, police said. The officer ordered Camarillo to remove his hand from his pants but the suspect ignored the commands. Instead, he walked away from the officer and attempted to hid behind a building.
Camarillo was followed by the officer and taken into custody, police said. A search of the area where Camarillo attempted to hide revealed a black Air Soft gun with the orange tip removed.
Camarillo was “extremely intoxicated,” according to police. He was arrested and booked at Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of being drunk in public, obstruction of justice and brandishing a replica firearm in public.
Police urge residents not to remove or alter a toy gun by removing a portion of it so it resembles a real firearm. Doing so could lead law enforcement officers and witnesses to view the toy gun as real, exposing a threat to the owner of the toy gun and the public.
The city of Morgan Hill has ordinances prohibiting the possession and display of replica firearms or any other type of imitation weapons on public property, in the right of way or an area where it can be viewed from public property, according to police.
Anyone with information about this incident can contact MHPD at (408) 779-2101 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.
