Update: Police Release Mugshots, Evidence Photos from Alleged Conspiracy

Authorities confiscated a loaded firearm, ski masks and brass knuckles inside a car that South Pasadena Police pulled over for displaying stolen plates, Sgt. Brian Solinsky said Monday. 

Officers spotted the Toyota Corolla Thursday at 12:48 p.m. at Huntington Drive and Atlantic Boulevard, after the cruiser's camera spotted license plates to a car that was reported stolen back in December. The plates did not match the Corolla, so they pulled the car over at Huntington Drive at Almansor Street on the border of Alhambra and San Marino. 

When officers searched the vehicle, they found a loaded Taurus 40-caliber handgun and an authentic flash hider for an AR rifle that was painted orange. Both items were inside a drawstring bag under the front seat, Solinsky said. 

"Typically, we see weapons painted orange and yellow so when someone plans to or commits a crime, the weapon will look like a toy,'' he said, adding that many toy guns are painted a bright color. 

Officers found ski masks in the glove box, which the suspects claimed were used for an "Airsoft'' game, a recreational shooting game that resembles paint ball, Solinsky said. In the backseat, officers found two aluminum baseball bats and, in a separate plstic bag, the plates that atually matched the Corolla. The plates on the Corolla belonged to a car stolen from West Covina in December.

"It appears they were on their way to commit a robbery, but we stopped them before they committed the crime,'' Solinsky said.

Police arrested Zi He, 22, of Monterey Park and Yigang Meng, 36, of Rosemead on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a crime, receiving stolen property and possession of a loaded concealed weapon. 

Editor's Note: The original version of this story said the perpetrators were pulled over in San Marino - the northside of Huntington Drive at the intersection of Almansor is San Marino and the southside Alhambra. Additonally, the story should have read that a flash hider for an AR rifle was also confiscated. 

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