FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A felon pleaded guilty Monday for having a firearm while fighting officers when they were trying to arrest him during a traffic stop in Fresno County in 2024.

The Department of Justice announced Tuesday that 27-year-old Joseph Rocha of Fresno pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Court documents state that on March 21, 2024, officers performed a traffic stop on his vehicle. When Rocha told officers his license was in the trunk, the officers told him to step out. At that point, Rocha then turned the vehicle on and placed it into drive. Officers then struggled with him to regain control of the vehicle through a half-open door.

The DOJ said he continued to fight with the officers as they removed him from the vehicle, and tried to move away from them and grab an officer’s taser.

After officers were able to subdue Rocha, they found him in possession of a loaded firearm.

The DOJ adds that Rocha cannot have firearms or ammunition because of multiple prior felony convictions in Fresno County, evading a peace officer, firearms offenses, assault, car theft, and drug trafficking.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 26. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.