Full Notification

Guns, guns, & more guns! In less than 10 hours, SMPD officers took 3 guns off the street in 3 unrelated incidents. However, the first two were very similar.

Let's start with at the beginning...

On Saturday, August 9, 2025, at 1:35am, the San Mateo Police Department located an occupied stolen vehicle in the area of Lago St. at S. Norfolk St. As the stolen vehicle fled the area, officers successfully deployed a tire deflation device, however, the vehicle continued moving and ultimately, fled across Highway 92 before the vehicle became completely disabled in Hayward. Once the car came to a stop, three subjects ran from it on foot, while one subject, a juvenile male, surrendered at the scene. During the foot pursuit, a subject, identified as Alberto Mercado, was caught and arrested. The two others remain outstanding; however, we have investigative leads we will be following up on. While fleeing San Mateo, a loaded firearm (discovered to be stolen out of Las Vegas) had been tossed from the fleeing stolen vehicle. It has since been recovered. Numerous burglary tools were located inside the stolen vehicle.

Mercado was arrested at the scene and later transported and booked into the San Mateo County Jail. The juvenile who surrendered was released to a parent. This case is still under investigation.

ARRESTED:
Alberto Mercado, age 19, Hayward resident
CHARGES:
496(a)PC: Receive/possess stolen property, 25850(a)PC: Carry a loaded firearm in a vehicle, 466PC: Possess burglary tools, 135PC: Destroy/conceal evidence, and 148(A)(1)PC: Obstruct or resist a peace officer

10 hours later...

On Saturday, August 9, 2025, at 11:02pm, the San Mateo Police Department was alerted to a stolen vehicle in the area of 31st Ave. and E. Sailer Dr. Officers located the vehicle on S. El Camino Real at W. 25th Ave. and attempted to stop it. As they did so, the vehicle stopped and the driver and two occupants exited the car and fled on foot, while two female occupants remained. The three who fled were caught and detained by officers. A search of the stolen vehicle led to the discovery of an unserialized unloaded firearm (“ghost gun”) with a loaded extended magazine (23 rounds) found next to it under the driver’s seat. The driver, identified as Silas Willis, and two male juveniles were arrested on both the stolen vehicle and gun charges. The two minor females were released. Willis was transported and booked into the San Mateo County Jail and both of the male juveniles were transported and booked into Hillcrest Juvenile Facility.

This marks the second stolen vehicle pursuit and arrest in approximately 10 hours by SMPD, where a firearm had also been associated and parties involved had also been minors. At this time, we don’t have any information to say the two cases are related, but we encourage parents to be aware of what their teens are doing and who they are associating with.

ARRESTED:
Silas Willis, age 19, San Jose resident
CHARGES: 496d(A)PC: Possess a stolen vehicle, 25400(c)(6)PC: Possess a concealed firearm, 25850(c)PC: Possess unregistered firearm, 29180(b)PC: DOJ requirement for a serial number for a firearm, 29820(b)PC: Prohibits previous ward of the court to possess firearm, 23920(b)PC: Possession of a firearm with altered/obliterated serial number, 148(a)(1)PC, and warrant
ARRESTED:
Male juvenile, age 16, E. Palo Alto resident
CHARGES: 496d(A)PC: Possess a stolen vehicle, 29610(A)PC: Minor in possession of a firearm 148(A)(1)PC: Resist/obstruct a peace officer
ARRESTED:
Male juvenile, age 166, Stockton resident
CHARGES: 496d(A)PC: Possess a stolen vehicle, 29610(A)PC: Minor in possession of a firearm 148(A)(1)PC: Resist/obstruct a peace officer

And lastly...

Officers pulled over a vehicle and discovered the driver had a gun registered to him. To which he was found carrying it loaded and under the driver's seat. While the gun was legally owned and registered, it is illegal to carry a loaded firearm in a vehicle within reach of any subject. It should be locked in a lock box in the trunk. So needless to say, the gun was confiscated and the gentleman was issued a citation.

Guns are not toys and if you own one, be responsible with them and if you don't, don't steal or make one, it's illegal. In all three of these incidents this weekend, each and every person is lucky these cases didn't end badly. Life is precious and can change in an instant, and all it takes is one bad decision.