Authorities Wednesday were investigating a recovered firearm that was allegedly dropped by two men running away from officers on foot.
Around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, officers responded to reports of an abandoned vehicle blocking the roadway at the intersection of 175th Street East and Avenue N-8 in the Lake Los Angeles area, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Authorities later determined that the abandoned vehicle had been reported stolen.
Officers at the scene saw one man walking away from the vehicle, which appeared to have been involved in a crash, and entering the passenger side of a black Ford Explorer parked nearby. A second man was seated in the driver’s seat, according to the CHP.
The officer who approached the two men noticed a black semi-automatic rifle near the driver’s leg while speaking to him, according to the CHP. As the officer issued commands to the occupants of the car, the drive sped away.
The car was later found disabled on a desert road, and both occupants had fled on foot. One of the men dropped the firearm during their escape, which was later collected as evidence, authorities said.
An extensive search of the area was conducted but there were no signs of the suspects, according to the CHP.
Nearby schools were temporarily shut down on Tuesday as a precaution.
Anyone with information regarding the automobiles or the suspects was asked to contact the CHP Antelope Valley-area office at 661-743-6060.