Eureka Teen Arrested After HCSO SWAT Raid Uncovers Loaded Firearm

A heavy law enforcement presence descended on the 1800 block of Albee Street in west Eureka just after 7:30 on a Tuesday morning, as Humboldt County Sheriff's Office SWAT deputies, patrol officers, and a UAV team converged on an apartment building to execute both an arrest warrant and a search warrant.

The operation, which began at approximately 7:34 a.m. on March 17 and lasted until around 8:30 a.m., ended with 18-year-old Tyler Colegrove in custody and a loaded firearm recovered from the residence. Colegrove was transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility and booked on four charges: felon in possession of a firearm (PC 29800(a)(1)), minor illegally possessing a concealed weapon (PC 29610(a)), manufacturing or assembling a firearm without a serial number (PC 29180(a)), and manufacturing, importing, selling, giving away, or possessing large-capacity magazines (PC 32310).

The breadth of those charges, which span both the presence of a loaded weapon and allegations tied to an un-serialized firearm and high-capacity magazines, signals an investigation that extended well beyond a routine warrant service. Lieutenant Kyle Holt described the action to reporters on scene as the result of a "complicated, complex" investigation, adding that he was unable to share more information with the public at that time. The Special Services Division's UAV team was among the units deployed, a resource the sheriff's office typically reserves for tactically sensitive operations.

HCSO did not publicly detail the underlying basis for the outstanding arrest warrant that initially brought SWAT to Albee Street, and Holt declined to elaborate on that aspect of the case.

At 18, Colegrove faces charges that carry serious weight under California law: the felon-in-possession statute alone presupposes a prior qualifying conviction, while the ghost gun allegation under PC 29180(a) reflects a category of firearms offense that has drawn heightened prosecutorial attention statewide in recent years.

Colegrove is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff's Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.