Man sentenced after incident at Moses Lake store

MOSES LAKE — A California man was sentenced to a year and a half in prison for his role in a June incident in which he reportedly attempted to conceal a box of ammunition at a Moses Lake sporting goods store, tried to push past employees and resisted arrest, before being found to be illegally in possession of a gun.

Elias Victor Cuevas, 23, pleaded guilty last week to attempted first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and third-degree theft and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Charges of first-degree robbery and making a false statement to a public servant were dismissed by the court.

On June 7, around 3:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to Tri-State Outfitters for a report of a physical altercation between Cuevas and staff after Cuevas reportedly attempted to conceal a box of ammunition in his pocket.

When a responding officer told Cuevas to put his hands behind his back, Cuevas resisted, saying that the officer had no reason to arrest him. The officer opted to force Cuevas to the ground, Cuevas reportedly shouted “police brutality” and called out for help, according to the police report.

Upon searching Cuevas, police reportedly located a revolver in one of his pockets, as well as a number of loose pieces of ammunition. Cuevas initially told law enforcement that his name was Frank Hernandez, though fingerprint records later identified him as Cuevas, a resident of Downey, California.

Cuevas had been previously convicted of a Los Angeles County felony carjacking in 2016 and was barred from possessing a firearm, according to court records.