A man suspected of lurking around customers of a Bank of America ATM in Castaic was arrested Sunday night after sheriff’s deputies discovered a loaded firearm, officials with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station reported.
Jaimee Baker, 26, a transient who is listed as a mixed martial artist, was arrested on suspicion of a felony charge of carrying an unregistered loaded handgun.
The incident took place on the 29600 block of The Old Road at around 7:45 p.m. when Sgt. Robert Gillis with the Parks Bureau of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department observed the suspect “intensely watching people” frequenting the ATM, according to Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
After some time, Gillis decided to approach the man, who sat in a parked vehicle with Georgia license plates.
“When he (Gillis) approached the vehicle, he smelled marijuana that emitted from inside the vehicle and that’s when he discovered a firearm in a bag from inside the car,” said Miller. “There was also a marijuana pipe and the sergeant ran the firearm serial number and learned that it wasn’t registered.”
Baker was asked to then step outside of the car and was arrested.
There were no reports of the suspect approaching customers and “we don’t know what his intentions were but we thank the sergeant for his proactive efforts in protecting lives,” said Miller.
Baker did not carry a driver’s license and the SCV Sheriff’s Station could not find a reason why he was in the SCV area, according to Miller.
“Always remain vigilant to your surroundings, especially when using bank ATMs. You never know who is watching. Be safe SCV,” read a Monday Facebook post by the SCV Sheriff’s Station about the arrest.
Baker was being held Monday in lieu of $35,000 bail, according to the station’s booking log.
