The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department is asking for the publics help after a department-issued rifle was reported missing late Saturday night by deputies from the South Los Angeles Station.
According to the sheriffs department, deputies were responding to a service call on July 12, between approximately 10:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., when they discovered that a “Colt M4” rifle had fallen out of their patrol vehicle. The rifle had been stored in a black, hard-shelled case in the trunk, which also contained five magazines loaded with .223 caliber ammunition — 150 rounds in total.
The deputies had traveled an estimated four-mile route before noticing the rifle was missing. That route included traveling north on Normandie Avenue, west on Imperial Highway, north on Hawthorne Boulevard, and west on 104th Street to Inglewood Avenue.
Upon realizing the weapon was no longer in the vehicle, the deputies immediately searched the station parking lot and began retracing their route. Surveillance footage is currently under review, and surrounding law enforcement agencies have been notified. The department is also conducting an internal investigation to determine whether established policies were followed and what corrective steps may be necessary.
“In the interest of transparency and community safety,” the department said, it is notifying the public and urging anyone with information — or who may have security or dashcam footage from along the route — to come forward.
Tips can be reported directly to South Los Angeles Station at (323) 820-6700 or anonymously through Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visiting lacrimestoppers.org.
