He was stopped for tint violation. What cops say they found in the car landed him in more trouble.

A Bradenton man faces several felony charges, including armed trafficking, after police say they found meth, weed and a loaded gun in his vehicle during a traffic stop.

Shortly after 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the Bradenton Police Department Special Investigations Unit attempted to stop a vehicle in the 800 block of 16th Street East in Bradenton for a possible window tint violation.

The driver, Jermaine Griffin, 23, acknowledged the cops’ lights and sirens but refused to stop, “rolling his window down and motioning his hands as if he didn’t know what to do,” according to a probable cause affidavit.

Griffin drove hundreds of yards before turning left and stopping in the 1800 block of Ninth Avenue East. When he rolled his window down, officers could smell a “strong odor of freshly burnt marijuana coming from inside the vehicle,” prompting a search of the vehicle, the affidavit says.

Inside, officers found a loaded Glock .40 caliber between the driver’s seat and center console “within reach” of Griffin. They also found a backpack containing 98.5 grams of marijuana, some of which was individually bagged, and two battery-powered scales.

Additionally, 72 bags of methamphetamine were discovered, weighing a total of 53 grams. The trafficking amount is considered 14 grams.

After being taken into custody, Griffin admitted to smoking marijuana before being pulled over. He told police his DNA would be located throughout the vehicle because he “drives it a lot,” according to the affidavit.

Griffin said he was not aware of the gun in the vehicle, but he knew his license had been suspended since February for failure to pay a traffic offense.

Griffin was charged with multiple felony offenses, include armed trafficking, possession of a firearm during a felony, possession of marijuana with intent to sell and fleeing to elude.

Griffin also faces two misdemeanor charges in driving with a suspended license and possession of drug paraphernalia. He remains in custody at the Manatee County Jail without bond.

This story was originally published August 1, 2018 at 10:52 AM.