Missing LASD Assault Rifle May Have Fallen From Deputies' Patrol Car: Officials

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is searching for a missing assault rifle that may have recently fallen from a patrol vehicle, officials said Sunday.

Deputies from the South Los Angeles Station responded to a call between 10:30 and 11 p.m. Saturday when they discovered their Colt M4 fully automatic carbine was missing. The rifle was inside a hard storage case with five magazines, each loaded with 30 rounds of .22-caliber ammunition, the department announced.

After they realized the rifle was missing, deputies began searching the station parking lot and retraced their route. 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, officials said.

As part of the effort to find the missing rifle, deputies were reviewing surveillance footage from the area and notified other law enforcement agencies. An internal review has begun, which includes an evaluation of whether deputies followed policies and procedures properly and what improvements can be made in the future, officials said.

"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 missing rifle or who has video footage from deputies' is urged to call the South Los Angeles Station at 323-820-6700.