07-22-2015, 11:30 AM
Tue Jul 21, 2015 1:50pm EDT
By Alex Dobuzinskis
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -
Police uncovered a cache of 1,200 guns and more than 2 tons of ammunition in the Los Angeles home of a man found dead nearby, and investigators are checking if he legally owned the weapons and whether any were used in a crime, officials said.
Officers made the discovery after the man's
body was found in a car in West Los Angeles on Friday, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. Los Angeles County assistant chief coroner Ed Winter said the man, whose name has not been released, was already decomposing when found.
An autopsy was planned for Tuesday or
Wednesday.
The 1,200 firearms found at the man's home
included handguns, rifles and shotguns, police
said. The weapons and 2 tons of ammunition
were taken to the police department's property
division.
While there is no absolute limit to the number of guns a person can legally own in California,
LAPD spokeswoman Officer Liliana Preciado
said investigators will check who was the
registered owner of the weapons and if any of
the firearms have been linked to any crimes.
Detectives with a warrant entered the man's
home after the discovery of his body because
they were looking for evidence that would
explain his death, police said.
LAPD Commander Andrew Smith told the Los
Angeles Times there were no immediate signs
of foul play and that detectives were not
investigating the death as a homicide.
The number of firearms at the house far
exceeded the haul from a recent Los Angeles
gun-buyback collection.
On May 9, authorities rounded up 746 guns in exchange for supermarket gift cards they gave individuals who turned in the weapons, part a program intended to make the city's streets safer.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Steve Gorman and Bill Trott)
By Alex Dobuzinskis
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -
Police uncovered a cache of 1,200 guns and more than 2 tons of ammunition in the Los Angeles home of a man found dead nearby, and investigators are checking if he legally owned the weapons and whether any were used in a crime, officials said.
Officers made the discovery after the man's
body was found in a car in West Los Angeles on Friday, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. Los Angeles County assistant chief coroner Ed Winter said the man, whose name has not been released, was already decomposing when found.
An autopsy was planned for Tuesday or
Wednesday.
The 1,200 firearms found at the man's home
included handguns, rifles and shotguns, police
said. The weapons and 2 tons of ammunition
were taken to the police department's property
division.
While there is no absolute limit to the number of guns a person can legally own in California,
LAPD spokeswoman Officer Liliana Preciado
said investigators will check who was the
registered owner of the weapons and if any of
the firearms have been linked to any crimes.
Detectives with a warrant entered the man's
home after the discovery of his body because
they were looking for evidence that would
explain his death, police said.
LAPD Commander Andrew Smith told the Los
Angeles Times there were no immediate signs
of foul play and that detectives were not
investigating the death as a homicide.
The number of firearms at the house far
exceeded the haul from a recent Los Angeles
gun-buyback collection.
On May 9, authorities rounded up 746 guns in exchange for supermarket gift cards they gave individuals who turned in the weapons, part a program intended to make the city's streets safer.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Steve Gorman and Bill Trott)