'Ghost Gun' Arrest Of 'Suspicious' Subject Made In Santa Clarita

VALENCIA, CA — Sheriff's officials Monday announced the arrest of a Santa Clarita man in connection with the discovery of a AR-15 "ghost gun."

The suspect had been acting suspicious, repeatedly getting in and out of a vehicle near Citrus Street and Magic Mountain Parkway in the Valencia area, on the afternoon of Oct. 14, according to officials at the sheriff's Santa Clarita Valley Station. Crime Impact Team deputies also observed the driver of another vehicle pull up alongside and interact with the suspect.

Deputies pulled over the suspect's vehicle for a traffic code violation and found the "ghost gun" with a working trigger mechanism, along with three baggies of cocaine and drug paraphernalia, sheriff's officials said.

Michael Lea, 24, was arrested on suspicion of weapons and drug charges. He was released on $35,000 bail last Tuesday and is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 9, according to the sheriff's department.

Ghost gun kits, which commonly contain unfinished frames and receivers, can be sold by unlicensed sellers and later made into untraceable firearms at home. They contain the components of a nearly complete firearm that can be manufactured and then assembled in minutes into a fully functional weapon.

Buyers of the kits do not have to undergo a background check, and the resulting firearm is ultimately untraceable because in most states they are not required to have a serial number.

Ghost guns have been used in mass shootings throughout the country, including at Saugus High School last year.

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--City News Service