The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is investigating how an assault rifle went missing from — and potentially fell out of — the trunk of a squad car in South L.A. Deputies first noticed the Colt M4 assault rifle was missing from the trunk of their squad car on Saturday night sometime between 10:30 and 11, according to a statement issued by the Sheriff's Department. The weapon had been kept in "a black, hard-shelled storage case" in the vehicle's trunk, along with five magazines, each loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition. The Sheriff's Department asked the public to help find the assault rifle and identified the route that the deputies traveled Saturday night in hopes of locating the weapon. The deputies traveled about four miles, heading north on Normandie Avenue near the department's South L.A. Station before turning west on Imperial Highway, north on Hawthorne Boulevard, then west on 104th Street to Inglewood Avenue. "Upon realizing the rifle was missing, personnel from the South Los Angeles Station immediately initiated a search of the station parking lot and retraced the deputies' route of travel," the Sheriff's Department said in the statement. "Surveillance footage from the area is currently being reviewed, and local law enforcement agencies have been notified of the incident." The department also said it was initiating an investigation to determine "whether processes and procedures were followed." The union representing L.A. County sheriff's deputies did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Anyone with information about the missing rifle or with video along the deputies' route is asked to contact the Sheriff's South L.A. station at (323) 820-6700. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared inLos Angeles Times.
