Linda Vista

Man With Gun β€˜In Plain Sight' Arrested in Linda Vista: SDPD

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Days after a man allegedly fired shots into the air at a Linda Vista strip mall, San Diego police arrested the suspect who was found with a loaded assault-style weapon in his car.

Julius Greene, 20, was taken into custody Wednesday after a loaded AR-15-style rifle equipped with a loaded 40-round magazine and an additional 30-round clip were found in his vehicle, according to the San Diego Police Department.

On Jan. 18, police were notified of a person firing several rifle rounds into the air in the parking lot of businesses in the 6900 block of Linda Vista Road just after 10 p.m. The Linda Vista Library was dozens of feet away.

A man was arrested after shots were fired in Linda Vista. NBC 7's Danny Freeman has more.

Surveillance cameras at a business in the strip mall recorded the incident, and from that video police were able to obtain a description of Greene's car.

The video show's a car pull into the parking lot at around 8:30 p.m. The driver gets out and walks toward Skateworld with something shiny in his hands. About two hours later, the driver returns and gets back in the car.

As the driver pulls out he appears to engage with at least one other person in the parking lot. The driver gets out of the car and, with no apparent warning, grabs the rifle and fires into the air. As others take cover, the driver gets back into the car and drives off.

Police told NBC 7 that they waited for the suspect to return to where the shooting took place and he did.

"They made a determination that there was a likelihood the suspect was going to return on a particular date," SDPD Lt. Shawn Takeuchi said.

No injuries were reported. Greene was found driving the car they were looking for, with his rifle and ammo in sight.

"Everyone's got to know that, that projectile that was shot and discharged from a firearm and goes up in the sky, it's gonna come down, gravity always wins," Takeuchi said.

Police tweeted a photo of the gun with two magazine clips Tuesday morning.

SDPD later found four .223 caliber casings in the parking lot.

Greene was arrested for the reported shooting in the parking lot and for additional weapons violations.

Green was booked into the San Diego Central Jail, police said.

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