The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department revealed Sunday that it is searching for a department-issued Colt M4 rifle, which may have fallen from the trunk of a patrol vehicle on its way to a call for service.
South Los Angeles Station deputies responded to a call between about 10:30 p.m and 11 p.m. Saturday when they discovered their Colt M4 fully automatic carbine was missing, sheriff’s officials said. The rifle was inside a black, hard-shelled storage case with five magazines, each loaded with 30 rounds of .22-caliber ammunition.
The deputies had traveled about four miles north on Normandie Avenue, west on Imperial Highway, north on Hawthorne Boulevard and west on 104th Street to Inglewood Avenue, the LASD reported.
After the deputies realized the rifle was missing, station personnel immediately began a search of the station parking lot and retraced the deputies’ route, sheriff’s officials said.
Department personnel were reviewing surveillance footage from the area and notified other local law enforcement agencies, according to the LASD. An internal review has begun, including an evaluation of whether policies and procedures were followed and how they can be improved to prevent it from happening again.
“We are notifying the public in the interest of transparency and community safety, and to seek assistance in locating the missing department-issued rifle,” an LASD statement said. Anyone with information about the location of the missing rifle or video footage from their route of travel is urged to call the South Los Angeles Station at 323-820-6700 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.