A man with a prior conviction for a crime of violence was found with a loaded handgun in his pocket while walking around outside an apartment building in Winona, according to a newly filed complaint.
Tony Augustine Flores, 47, faces three charges in Winona County District Court: possessing a firearm and ammunition after a conviction for a crime of violence, carrying a pistol without a permit in a public place and carrying a pistol while under the influence of alcohol.
According to the complaint, officers with the Winona Police Department were dispatched at about 5:57 p.m. on Friday, October 23, 2026, after a report of an adult male walking around with a gun in the city. When officers arrived, they saw Flores standing in a driveway and noticed the grip of a handgun sticking out of the front pocket of his shorts.
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Officers ordered Flores to put his hands up and removed the handgun from his pocket before placing him in handcuffs. The firearm was identified as a black Springfield Armory XD M handgun with a loaded magazine containing 16 rounds of .40 Smith & Wesson ammunition. Officers reported smelling alcoholic beverages on Flores and noted his eyes were bloodshot and watery.
A witness who lives in the apartment building told officers he had seen Flores through a window “messing” with a firearm and drinking alcoholic beverages before police arrived. The witness said he became concerned and went inside the building, then saw Flores leave his apartment and walk around the property with the firearm. The witness also reported seeing Flores tap the firearm against a window as the witness’s roommates were entering the residence.
Flores agreed to speak with officers after being read his Miranda rights. He told officers he was concerned about someone messing with his vehicle and brought the handgun outside while checking on it. Flores admitted he did not have a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota and acknowledged he was a convicted felon. He also said he did not threaten anyone with the gun.
Officers administered a preliminary breath test, which showed Flores had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 percent. He was transported to the Winona County Jail, where he agreed to take a breath test that measured his BAC at 0.13 percent at 7:00 p.m. During testing, Flores admitted he knew he had the gun and was not supposed to possess it.
A search of Flores’s criminal history revealed a 2005 conviction in Bakersfield, California, for assault with a deadly weapon not involving a firearm, with great bodily injury likely, according to the complaint.
The charges were filed October 26 in Winona County District Court.
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