Five Arrested in SWAT Weapons Theft Case

MyFoxLA ^ | 10/28/11 | Staff

[La Enchiladita]

Los Angeles - Los Angeles police detectives arrested five suspects in connection with the burglary of a SWAT training facility in downtown Los Angeles, in which non-operable training weapons were stolen between October 12th and 13th.

During the course of the investigation LAPD Detectives developed significant leads resulting in the service of search warrants at multiple locations on Thursday, October 27th and early morning hours of Friday, October 28th.

The search warrants resulted in the recovery of three weapons stolen during the burglary and the arrest of five suspects in connection with the crime.

[La Enchiladita]

The suspects arrested include; 29 year-old Richard Velasco and 41 year-old Gilbert Salcedo of Los Angeles for 459 PC, Burglary, 24 year-old Gerardo Vasquez, 28 year-old William Vasquez and 31 year-old Mauricio Hernandez of Los Angeles.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Not saying I am on top of every detail of this case, but this is the first time I have heard the term “non-operable” used in conjunction with the weapons. In fact, I think I recall that the weapons were previously described as “fully functional”.

I am aware that some non-ops can be converted to ops, some of them fairly easily.

But one has to wonder...if these are “never gonna work” with welded-shut barrels and receivers...why would they have been stolen?

[DJ MacWoW]

Oh Oh!

Donate Here!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks La Enchiladita.

...non-operable training weapons were stolen between October 12th and 13th.

[wally_bert]

Couldn’t be left over props from the 70s?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV87HfWE9Es&feature=related

[arthurus]

Velasco
Vasquez
Hernando

Going down to Mexico?

[chooseascreennamepat]

“why would they have been stolen?”

No one has ever accused robbers of being geniuses

[jonascord]

Back in the mid '70s, you could buy any one of several "toys" that were exact duplicates of several of the more popular automatic weapons of the day, including the Uzi and the MP5, a Mauser Bolo broomhandle, and an MP-40 "Schmeisser". While the frames were steel, most of the inner workings such as the sear were pot metal, the chambers had a pin in the middle so a live round wouldn't chamber, and the "barrel" itself was a solid rod with a 2 inch deep hole in the muzzle end to simulate a bore.

They were meant as TV and stage props, and training aids, but had all the inner detail you could want. They field stripped like the original, barrel nut unscrewed, and a good many of the outer parts, sights, sling, stocks and such, were real.

You could rack the cocking handle back, and the only thing they wouldn't do is actually shoot. Some models, notably the Uzi, had a special cased round with a primer that was powerful enough to kick the bolt back and eject the case. They would even seat real magazines.Why they existed is beyond me, but Lard Assed Teddy had a spasm and they were a major reason that cap guns have a red plastic muzzle, these days, by federal mandate.