Man Charged With Removing Serial Number From Handgun; Facing Deportation

Richfield man Norberto Lara Tierra-Blanca, 24, was charged with removal of a firearm serial number, a felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, and carrying a weapon without a permit, a gross misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $3,000 fine.

Police were on patrol near 17th Avenue South and East Lake Street—described in the criminal complaint as a “high-prostitution area”—on June 12 when officers saw a woman standing on the corner.

According to the criminal complaint, signed by Minneapolis Police Officer Christopher House, a car pulled up to the woman, she jumped into the passenger seat and the car pulled away without signaling.

Police stopped the car and learned that the driver, Tierra-Blanca, had a suspended driver’s license, and his criminal record showed he had been cited three times in the last five months for driving without a license.

Tierra-Blanca was arrested and his car was impounded. According to the complaint, during a subsequent search of the car, police found a loaded .25-caliber semi-automatic handgun under the driver’s seat with the serial number obliterated.

Tierra-Blanca reportedly told police he didn’t have a permit to carry a weapon and the gun belonged to his brother. According to the complaint, he also said he had bought the vehicle earlier in the day and didn’t know the gun was under the seat; he said later that he had briefly loaned the car to his cousin that day and that the gun belonged to the cousin.

Tierra-Blanca appeared in court June 22, was granted bail with conditions and requested an interpreter. His next court date is scheduled for 9 a.m. July 25. He also faces possible deportation after his case is resolved.