Snapchat joyride with AR-15 style weapon in South Lake Tahoe sends teen to jail

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A 19-year-old man from Dayton, Nevada was arrested in South Lake Tahoe on Friday after he was allegedly found with an illegal and loaded weapon.

On April 5, 2019, at 2:19 p.m. the Douglas County Sheriff's Office called the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) with a "Be On The Lookout" for a black Mercedes with a passenger that was brandishing an AR-15 style weapon.

At 2:25 p.m. the SLTPD saw the vehicle near the intersection of Lyons Avenue and Highway 50. Once enough officers were in the area, officers pulled the car over at the intersection of Highway 50 and Al Tahoe Boulevard without incident.

Inside the Mercedes were two young men, an "AR-15 style-gun" and loaded a 30-round magazine. The gun was unregistered and non-California compliant according to Jason Cheney of SLTPD.

The passenger of the car, Nolan Stratton, told officers the gun belonged to him. He told officers he only had the gun out so he could Snapchat himself with it as his music played.

Stratton is currently being held in the El Dorado County Jail on charges of Illegal Possession of an Assault Weapon and Manufacture/Sale/Etc of an assault weapon. His bail is $52,500.