Gun found in car during drunken driving arrest

Wauwatosa police officers found a loaded gun in a man's car as they arrested him for his third drunken-driving offense.

According to the Wauwatosa police report:

Officers responded to a call about a man sleeping behind the wheel in the 11200 block of West Burleigh Road about 3:15 a.m. March 24. The car was on the side of the road, but the car was running and the headlights were on.

Officers attempted to wake the 49-year-old Milwaukee man first by knocking on the window and then by opening the door and shaking the man's arm. He eventually woke up and told police he had had too much to drink.

During a search of the vehicle, police found a .44-caliber revolver loaded with hollow-point rounds, as well as some additional ammunition. The man told police he had the gun for protection because he had been shot in Milwaukee five years ago and also had been a robbery victim. He said he did not carry the gun with him but left it in his car, although state law requires guns to be unloaded and in a carrying case when they are transported in a vehicle.

The man was arrested for drunken driving and carrying a concealed weapon. Blood was drawn to determine his blood-alcohol content.