More than 1,000 weapons seized in upscale Los Angeles

May 8, 2019, 22:47 UTC / Update May 9, 2019, 00:46 UTC

By Alex Johnson and Andrew Blankstein

LOS ANGELES – Federal and local authorities on Wednesday seized more than 1,000 weapons in a house in one of the richest areas of the country, authorities said.

Los Angeles police and officers of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives discovered rifles and pistols while they were serving a search warrant in a residence of the Holmby Hills area, west of Los Angeles.

"This stems from an investigation into a person who was selling illegal firearms and making illegal firearms," ​​police lieutenant Chris Ramirez told NBC Los Angeles.

The weapons were removed from a house located near the famous intersection of Beverly and Sunset Boulevards as part of a joint investigation by the police and ATF. The real estate listings offer homes for sale at an average price of more than $ 17 million this week in the neighborhood, which is part of the Los Angeles Platinum Triangle.

Law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation told NBC News that there was no threat to the public. While ATF agents were helping to deal with the scene Wednesday afternoon, at least one truck was in the aisle waiting to remove the firearms for cataloging.

Numerous artists and renowned artists have made their home in Holmby Hills, including Michael Jackson, Neil Diamond, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Bing Crosby, Gary Cooper, Walt Disney and the powerful couple Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

This is not the first time a real arsenal has been discovered in a tony house west of Los Angeles. Four years ago, authorities uncovered a private collection of tons of ammunition and a cache of firearms in a condominium located in the Pacific Palisades region.

The authorities have estimated the private collection between half a million and one million dollars.