SANTA CLARA — Final October, federal authorities had been monitoring an Instagram account once they discovered a brief video, referred to as a “story,” depicting a person utilizing a grinder energy device to obliterate the serial variety of a semi-automatic pistol.
“On the 40, he stated f— it,” the cameraman reportedly stated on movie, referring to the .40 caliber pistol within the video.
The video doesn’t depict the face of the person grinding off the gun’s serial quantity. However prosecutors consider they’ve recognized the person within the video primarily based on his tattoos, and have charged him with a federal offense that carries a most of 15 years behind bars.
Miguel Ochoa-Avalos, of Palo Alto, is dealing with federal expenses of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Authorities searched his dwelling final 12 months and reportedly discovered a .40 caliber pistol with an obliterated serial quantity, generally referred to as a “ghost gun,” together with practically a quarter-pound of cocaine powder, in line with the felony grievance.
Police recognized Ochoa-Avalos by evaluating arm tattoos within the Instagram story to officer physique worn digicam footage from a latest arrest in San Mateo County, in line with the grievance. He had prior convictions for home violence in 2020 and for possessing an assault rifle in 2019 that prohibit him from proudly owning firearms, in line with court docket data.
Prosecutors tried — and failed — to persuade a decide to jail Ochoa-Avalos, labeling him a hazard to the neighborhood. As an alternative, he’s been launched to a drug therapy facility within the Bay Space. The case continues to be in its early phases, and a Jan. 24 court docket standing convention was postponed till Feb. 21, court docket data present.