Feds nab driver whose passenger was seen in viral AK-47 pic

A suspected gangbanger has been busted two years after his girlfriend went viral for hanging out of his Cadillac clutching a mini AK-47 — identified from bragging about it online, even wearing the photo on a T-shirt, according to federal prosecutors.

The woman made headlines in July 2021 when San Francisco police posted the Wild West-style image of her brandishing the assault rifle during an illegal sideshow in the city’s Bayview neighborhood.

The speeding car’s driver has now been identified as Christopher Gonzalez-Nuñez, a 26-year-old Hayward resident with alleged ties to a notorious member of the Mission District Norteños gang, federal prosecutors said.

Investigators determined Gonzalez-Nuñez’s identity and that the Caddy belonged to him by browsing his Instagram feed, the Mercury News reported.

“Not only does the car match a vehicle that Gonzalez-Nuñez owned at the time, but Instagram users tagged him in photos from the incident and mentioned him by name,” Assistant US Attorney Leif Dautch wrote in a legal motion.

“Perhaps most tellingly, Gonzalez-Nuñez posted a photo on his Instagram account of what appears to be him wearing a T-shirt depicting his significant other leaning out of his car holding the gun,” Dautch added.

The woman, who was not mentioned by name, was listed in the court filing as Gonzalez-Nuñez’s “significant other,” the Mercury News said.

The suspect was charged with being a felon in possession of three guns and ammunition — including two handguns without serial numbers — that were allegedly found during a raid of his home, according to the outlet.

In June, FBI agents conducting a search of his home found the guns in a backpack that had been thrown over a backyard fence, according to officials, who said a DNA test then linked them to the suspect.

Authorities have sought to keep Gonzalez-Nuñez locked up ahead of his trial by claiming he has close ties to a onetime justice reform activist named Fernando Madrigal, who pleaded guilty to killing a 15-year-old boy in 2019.

Gonzalez-Nuñez, who is locked up at the Santa Rita Jail, faces up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted.

The viral photo of the armed woman came to symbolize the Bay Area’s perceived anarchy during the pandemic era.

Reactions in social media ran the gamut from users asking if she was single and others calling for gun control.