A Carson City deputy said he was forced to make a felony car stop at Robinson and Saliman roads just as Carson High School students were getting out for the weekend.
Deputy Bob Guimont said he was patrolling the school zone about 2:10 p.m. when he noticed a suspicious vehicle traveling south on Saliman Road.
When the vehicle came back as stolen, Guimont said, he was going to attempt to stop the car once it got through the four-way stop at Robinson and Saliman.
He said as he was sitting behind the car he could see the driver reaching under his seat and the passenger reaching near the doorway, then suddenly, the passenger jumped from the vehicle.
Guimont said based on the occupants' demeanors inside the car, he was forced to hold the passenger at gunpoint and demand to see his hands.
"There were people everywhere," Guimont said of the crowd of students and cars that were filling the intersection. "All I could think is if this guy starts shooting, we're in trouble."
Guimont said the passenger was yelling, "What are you going to do, shoot me!"
When backup arrived, he said, deputies removed the driver from the vehicle.
Although no weapons were found, methamphetamine and a scale was allegedly recovered from the vehicle.
"Unfortunately the stop took place where it did, but I was afraid they were going to challenge me and start shooting," Guimont said.
Sheriff Kenny Furlong agreed with Guimont's assessment.
"It was a bad place, at a bad time, but we had no other options," he said.
The driver, Gabriel Delgado, 22, was booked into the Carson City Jail on suspicion of felony possession of a stolen vehicle, felony possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
The passenger, Jose Escobar, whom Guimont described as a "known gang member," was released.
