Two men were arrested Tuesday evening, Nov. 3 in south Modesto after a Ceres Police officer saw a muzzle flash when a shot was fired from their moving vehicle.

Ceres Police Officer Eric Gallegos went to assist Sheriff’s deputies in an 11:20 p.m. verbal disturbance call at the Driftwood Mobile Home Park at River Road and Bystrum Road. While in route on River Road under the South Ninth Street bridge Gallegos saw a flash of light and the heard gunfire near a deputy. Officer Gallegos spotted a black Toyota Echo driving with headlights off on River Road underneath the South Ninth Street bridge. 

Officer Gallegos conducted a high-risk traffic stop on the Toyota at River Road and Bunker Avenue with the help of a deputy. Detained were driver Victor Ganceda, 22, of Turlock, and passenger Luis Galvan, 24, of Modesto.

Ganceda did not have a valid driver’s license. During a search of the vehicle, officers located a box of 9mm ammo and four spent 9mm shell casings. Officers and deputies canvassed the area to see if anything had possibly been tossed out the car window and located several more 9mm rounds on River Road right on the west side of the underpass. The ammunition matched the rounds and box of ammunition located inside the car.

Officers also found a discarded Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-auto pistol and a high-capacity magazine. Both Ganceda and Galvan denied having a gun or shooting from the vehicle but a Snapchat video on Ganceda’s phone showed Galvan shooting a gun from the passenger seat. 

Just prior to transporting Galvan to jail, a deputy was switching out the handcuffs on Galvan and he attempted to run off. Deputies quickly nabbed him and detained him again. Galvan faces charges of negligent discharge of a firearm, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm and resisting arrest.

Ganceda faces charges of negligent discharge of a firearm, driver permitting the discharge of a firearm from a vehicle and driving without a license.