During a traffic stop earlier this week, police arrested a convicted felon after discovering her in possession of a loaded firearm and narcotics.
On Wednesday, September 14, 2022, at about 4:32 p.m., patrol officers observed a gold 1999 Buick LeSabre sedan driving in the 400 block of Quarry Road that had not been registered in more than two years. The officers conducted a vehicle stop in the parking lot of the Stanford Shopping Center and identified the two female occupants of the car.
The passenger, who said the vehicle belonged to her, gave police consent to search her car. She also initially identified herself with a name and date of birth of a person who was on searchable probation for robbery. Inside the car where she had been sitting, officers located a loaded 9 mm handgun, suspected methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and pepper spray. Officers arrested the passenger without incident. Police released the driver at the scene after determining she had not committed a crime, and officers towed the car.
After the arrest but before she had booked into jail, police learned that the suspect had falsely identified herself as another person. Police learned the suspect had two outstanding misdemeanor warrants out of San Joaquin County for theft and vandalism.
Police booked the suspect, 45-year-old Lakiea Nichole Gantt of Stockton, into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for felony charges that included possession of narcotics with a loaded and operable firearm, convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and pepper spray, possession of a loaded firearm, and false personation; two misdemeanor charges for possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia; and pursuant to the two warrants. Her booking photo is available at www.cityofpaloalto.org/PAPDnews.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call our 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to [email protected] or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.
