IRVING, Texas - A traffic stop involving a pickup without a license plate led Irving police to a loaded handgun and drugs after officers said the driver repeatedly refused to get out of the vehicle and resisted arrest.
The incident began around 12:21 p.m. Aug. 27 when an Irving police officer spotted a dark gray 2026 Ram 1500 traveling southbound near the 1300 block of North Belt Line Road without a license plate.
The officer stopped the pickup and identified the driver and sole occupant as 44-year-old Kevin Khalaf Benreshid.
According to police records, the officer smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Benreshid told the officer he had smoked marijuana earlier but said there was none inside the pickup.
The officer requested another unit for backup.
After the second officer arrived, police said Benreshid was asked to get out of the pickup but refused, telling officers he did not have to exit. The officer told Benreshid that the odor of marijuana gave police probable cause to search the vehicle and again ordered him to get out.
Benreshid continued to refuse, according to police, and additional officers arrived as the encounter escalated.
Officers eventually pulled Benreshid from the pickup. Police said he continued resisting on the ground by pulling away from officers before they were able to handcuff and restrain him.
Police said Benreshid continued resisting as officers took him to a patrol vehicle.
During a search of the Ram, officers reported finding 5.6 grams of marijuana in the center console and 35.2 grams of promethazine hydrochloride. A loaded HK VP9 9mm handgun was found underneath the driver's seat, according to police.
A criminal history check showed Benreshid had multiple prior felony convictions. Police records identify his most recent felony conviction as a second-degree felony evading arrest or detention with a vehicle case in Denton County in which he pleaded guilty.
Benreshid was booked into the Irving Jail on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of a Penalty Group 4 controlled substance between 28 and 200 grams, resisting arrest, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and unlawful carrying of a weapon.
