“Thank you to California DOJ special agents and their local law enforcement partners who investigated this case and removed this large cache of firearms from an individual who is suspected of being prohibited from being in possession of them. Their jobs put them in harms way and we are thankful no one was harmed during this investigation and arrest.”
– CSLEA President Alan Barcelona
RICHMOND — On February 15, 2024, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the arrest of a suspect in Richmond with a large cache of illegal firearms, including assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and approximately one million rounds of ammunition. The suspect is alleged to be legally barred from owning weapons.
“This arrest demonstrates exactly why the Armed and Prohibited Persons System is vital for the safety of our communities,” said Attorney General Bonta. “In our efforts to retrieve guns from a prohibited individual, we found hundreds of allegedly illegal weapons and approximately one million rounds of ammunition. I am grateful for our Bureau of Firearms agents’ and local law enforcement partners’ work in getting these illegal weapons out of the hands of this prohibited individual.”
On January 31, 2024, agents from the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Bureau of Firearms (BOF) Contra Costa Anti-Violence Support Effort (CASE) Task Force assisted by the BOF Dublin office and Contra Costa County Probation Officers served a search warrant at the suspect’s residence in Richmond.
During the search, several suspected grenades were discovered and the Walnut Creek Police Department Bomb Squad and Travis Air Force Base Bomb Squad were asked to respond. The grenades were found to be inert.
After a thorough search of the residence, DOJ agents seized approximately
- 11 military-style machine guns,
- 133 handguns,
- 37 rifles,
- 60 assault rifles,
- 7 shotguns,
- 20 silencers,
- 4 flare guns,
- 3,000 large capacity magazines,
- one million rounds of miscellaneous caliber ammunition,
- and dozens of rifle receivers and pistol frames.
Video provided by California DOJ
The APPS database works to identify individuals who lawfully procured firearms and later became prohibited from owning or possessing them. In general, prohibited persons in APPS include individuals who were convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, were placed under a domestic violence or other restraining order, or suffer from serious mental illness.
