Man arrested after handling gun in thrift store parking lot

A man was arrested Tuesday after a witness called 911 and said he appeared to be loading a gun in the parking lot of the Spokane Valley Value Village on East Sprague.

Deputies arrived and spoke to the man, who had been sitting in a parked car when the witness saw him. The man was cooperative and told deputies he had picked up his gun and racked the slide to make sure it was unloaded, according to a Spokane County Sheriff’s Office news release.

A .22 caliber gun was found in the holster between the front seats of the man’s car. There was not a round in the chamber but the magazine was loaded with eight rounds, the news release said.

The man, identified as 49-year-old Allen R. Summa, was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Summa reportedly told deputies that he didn’t know he was a felon and thought he had been convicted of a misdemeanor 30 years ago.

Court records show that Summa pleaded guilty to felony second-degree theft in 1986.