MALIBU—A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department beanbag shotgun went missing on Saturday, January 3. Investigators were continuing to search for it on Sunday, but nothing turned up and authorities fear it may have been stolen.

The shotgun had been placed in the trunk of a patrol car that was parked outside the Malibu/Lost Hills station in Agoura Hills at around 7:30 a.m., according to a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department advisory.

The Sheriff’s Department describes the weapon as a “stun bag shotgun with yellow markings” and it was placed in a black canvas carrying case, when it was loaded into the trunk.

According to the statement, “[The deputies] then left the station to handle an area child abuse call that was reported at a hospital in Hollywood.”

After an hour en route, a driver flagged down the deputies and informed them that their trunk was open. The deputies consequently pulled over on the exit ramp of the southbound 101 freeway at Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. When they went to check it, they noticed noticed the trunk was indeed open by “about 2-3 inches.”

The statement explains, “An inventory revealed the bean bag shotgun and its carrying case were no longer in the trunk. All other equipment was still in the trunk.”

In response to the news of the missing weapon, which could be loaded with live ammunition to cause deadly force, Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station deputies, Malibu/Lost Hills Search and Rescue Team deputies, and a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s helicopter crew meticulously traced the route the deputies’ patrolled that day.

California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles Police Department assisted the search as well. The stun bag shotgun, however, was not found.

The weapon is described the Sheriff’s Department as having a “chrome colored barrel with a yellow stock.” The firearm also has the words, “Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department” stamped to it.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department writes that it “is very concerned about finding this missing shotgun. The search is ongoing. The cause of the loss is under investigation, including to determine if the trunk latch was somehow blocked, if the trunk was not fully closed, or if the trunk latch somehow disengaged in transit.”

If you have any information about this incident, please contact investigators at the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station at 818-878-1808. If if you wish to remain Anonymous, call LA Crime Stoppers by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.

 

UPDATE:  Construction workers driving southbound on the 405 Freeway near the Skirball Center Drive offramp around 7:45 AM, Saturday, saw a black canvas bag laying on the side of the road.  Believing it was tools, they stopped and picked it up.  They later discovered a sheriff’s yellow bean bag shotgun inside the bag.  They turned it in to law enforcement on Tuesday evening. The shotgun, case and four bean bag rounds are intact, and the weapon appears to be undamaged.  The investigation into the cause of the loss of the gun on Saturday, January 3, 2015, is continuing.