Man suspected of wielding illegal assault weapon held without bail

Christopher Middleton, 19, is to undergo a mental review to determine if he is fit to stand trial.|

A 19-year-old man who allegedly had an arsenal of guns in his SUV during his arrest last week in Petaluma, including a loaded assault rifle and several high-capacity magazines, is undergoing review to see if he is mentally fit to stand trial, according to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office.

Petaluma Police Department officers arrested Christopher Middleton on June 15 after a caller reported that the suspect had threatened him with a gun during an argument while the two were driving south on Highway 101 from Santa Rosa.

Middleton was booked into Sonoma County Jail. He has been held without bail since June 17, when his attorney, public defender Jeff Mitchell, requested the psychiatric evaluation, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Staebell.

Investigators do not currently believe Middleton planned to use the weapons, which included the AR-15-style assault rifle equipped with a 30-round magazine, three additional 30-round magazines including one partially loaded, an unloaded shotgun, an unloaded rifle and approximately 500 rounds of ammunition, said Petaluma police Sgt. Paul Gilman.

The arrest in southeast Petaluma notably came at a time of heightened concern over lone gunman killings involving assault-style weapons, occurring just days after a gunman wielding a similar .223-caliber rifle killed dozens of people in an Orlando gay nightclub on June 12. That same day, police in Santa Monica reportedly arrested a man of unknown intentions armed with several such weapons on his way to a gay pride event in West Hollywood.

“There’s not a whole lot that is going to stop that kind of bullet,” Sgt. Gilman said.

Middleton is facing six felony charges - illegal possession of an assault weapon, threatening a crime with the intent to terrorize and four counts for possessing illegal, 30-round magazines.

Petaluma Police said they arrested Middleton without incident at the Rocky Memorial Dog Park off Casa Grande Road last Wednesday, where the passenger in the car he was driving left Middleton and reported him to law enforcement. Officers set up a perimeter and approached the suspect with guns drawn after the victim described the extent of his weaponry, Gilman said.

“The rifle he had, and the shotgun he had, are pretty much the same weapons we have in the police cars in Petaluma. We have those so we are not out-gunned,” he said.

Middleton was not wielding a gun at the time of the arrest, but told police he had been pointing the assault rifle at trees before the arrival of law enforcement, Gilman said.

Described as a transient with a most recent address in Forestville recorded three weeks before the arrest, Middleton also had a black ski mask, gas mask, military-style backpack and several canteens in the vehicle, a black GMC Yukon, according to police. Officers also located what appeared to be suspected bomb-making materials in the vehicle, but a subsequent investigation using a Sheriff’s Office robot determined the materials were inert parts of fireworks.

The suspect made, “what could be interpreted as an anti-government comment” during booking, and asserted that he had been committing burglaries throughout Sonoma County prior to his arrest, Gilman said. As of this week, Gilman said investigators have found no evidence to substantiate Middleton’s claim.

Middleton also allegedly told police that he had left firearms at the homes of various acquaintances in the county, a claim that Gilman said was “probably not true” based on findings from their ongoing investigation.

He added that there was currently no indication that Middleton and his passenger were planning any violent or illegal activity before the arrest, and declined to disclose where the two were heading.

The investigation continues as to how Middleton came into possession of the firearms, though Gilman said last week that the suspect used the term “ghost gun” in describing his weapons. The term has emerged in recent years to describe a category of sophisticated home-made firearms often purchased in a close-to-finished state, which can allow the weapons to fly under the radar of authorities.

Semi-automatic AR-15-style rifles are illegal to purchase or sell in California, though it is legal to own one purchased lawfully elsewhere and registered here in the state.

Middleton’s initial $10,000 bail - the highest amount law enforcement could levy at the time of his arrest - was increased to $150,000 the following morning at the request of Petaluma detectives investigating the case. Investigators had expressed concern that the suspect’s lack of a residence increased the chance that he would flee, Gilman said.

At this point, no agencies outside of Sonoma County are involved in the investigation, said Staebell, of the District Attorney’s Office. Middleton has no known ties to any hate or terror groups, Gilman said.

The suspect is scheduled to return to court on Monday, when the results of his initial psychiatric screening are expected to be disclosed, Staebell said. If a subsequent evaluation determines Middleton is unfit for trial, state mental health authorities would refer him to a treatment facility, which Stabell said would likely be Napa State Hospital.

(Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @Eric_Reports.)

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