Man Indicted for Machine Gun Possession

SAN ANGELO, TX — A San Angelo man was indicted last week for possession of a machine gun. The discovery occurred during a traffic stop on November 1, 2023, on Knickerbocker Rd. near Jackson St. According to police, Ivan Lopez, 19, quickly fled the scene after being pulled over. During the ensuing foot chase, he threw what police later determined was a stolen automatic handgun.

The federal indictment reveals that Lopez was in possession of a Glock 9 x 19mm caliber pistol with a Glock Switch. The Glock Switch, which can be purchased over the internet or manufactured with a 3D printer, is a device that turns a pistol into an automatic weapon. San Angelo police said this was the object Lopez tossed over a fence during the pursuit.

Lopez was facing trial in state district court this month for drug possession. The trial was set to begin today, June 17, 2024, but the court learned that Lopez is currently incarcerated in Kendall County Jail in Boerne.

Last Thursday, June 13, the federal court issued a Writ of Habeas Corpus Ad Prosequendum to bring Mr. Lopez to a court hearing in front of Magistrate Judge John R. Parker in Abilene.

In the state district court, Stephanie May is court-appointed to represent Lopez.

Glock Switches have been making news in major cities where mass shootings or reports of shots fired are involving more bullets fired, leading to an increase in injuries and deaths. ABC News reported last week that this machine-gun conversion device, dubbed 'Glock switches,' is escalating violence to the 'next level,' according to experts.

“With the official start of summer less than a week away, police across the nation are bracing for what one law enforcement expert described to ABC News as the 'next level' of gun violence. Law enforcement officials attribute a dramatic increase in the number of shots fired at crime scenes across the country to a lethal combination: multiple people drawing guns in crowded settings to settle disputes and a growing number of criminals using Glock firearms converted to machine guns and equipped with extended magazines,” ABC News reported last week.

San Angelo police have reported seeing these modified weapons only a few times. It appears that the federal authorities in the Northern District of Texas are taking a no-nonsense approach with the indictment of Lopez.

Lopez faces a statutory maximum of 10 years and/or a $250,000 fine if convicted.

The open graph image is of an UZI from the Vietnam era. That was to get your attention. Below is a video of several demostrations of the use of a Glock 9mm with a Glock Switch.