Christopher Loftis was arrested on suspicion of pursuing people with a weapon in Vista

Weapons were recovered from a home in Vista after the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department received reports of a man chasing people with a firearm on May 15, 2024. (San Diego County Sheriff’s Department)

VISTA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) – A man was arrested by San Diego Sheriff’s Department officers on suspicion of firearms-related charges after authorities investigated reports Wednesday of someone in Vista with a gun had pursued.

The incident was first reported in the 2000 block of Primrose Avenue around 7:30 p.m. According to the department, officers were dispatched to the area after receiving multiple 911 calls about a man chasing people with a gun while making threats.

The man left the scene in a pickup truck but returned on an off-road motorcycle. Witnesses told the sheriff’s department that he confronted four people with the gun before driving away.

According to the sheriff’s department, no shots were fired at any time and no one was injured.

As part of the preliminary investigation into the case, officers interviewed the four victims, who provided descriptions of the suspect and his direction of travel. With that information, officers were able to locate the man after a search of the neighborhood, authorities said.

Several weapons, including rifles, shotguns and handguns, were recovered from his home after officers executed a search warrant. Hundreds of rounds of ammunition and tactical vests were also found.

According to authorities, two of the firearms were “ghost guns,” meaning privately manufactured weapons without a traceable serial number.

The man, identified as 46-year-old Christopher Loftis, was arrested and booked into the Vista Detention Center. The sheriff’s department said he faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of an assault weapon and possession of a weapon without a serial number.