Riverbank Police Services Deputies arrested a 40-year-old man on Saturday. Dec. 5 for an illegal assault rifle after calls of shots fired in the area led them to an address in the 6300 block of Snedigar Road.

Police Chief Erin Kiely said the department received a call at 10 a.m. for gunshots heard in the area.

“That part of the city is somewhat rural, but there are a number of houses in the area,” Chief Kiely said. “Rifle or any other gunfire in that area can definitely be a safety concern.”

Kiely said the residences on the east side of Snedigar Road between Patterson Road and California Avenue are actually within the city limits of Riverbank where it is also illegal to shoot guns.

Deputies contacted Sakon Chan at the residence who had been shooting at makeshift targets in his back yard. He was in possession of an illegal .223 caliber assault rifle that had its barrel shortened to approximately nine inches. Chan also had large capacity, 30-round magazines for the gun.

California law bans certain assault weapons and also prohibits rifles from having a barrel less than 16 inches in length. Though it is illegal to buy or sell large capacity magazines, possession of a large-capacity magazine is not, in and of itself, a violation of the law.

Chan was arrested for two felony weapons violations and booked at Stanislaus County Jail.