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Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Reward Notice

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Contact: Los Angeles Field Division

$20,000 Offered for Information About Guns Missing from Compton's City Hall Vault

County Board Matches ATF Reward

COMPTON, Calif.— The reward rises to $20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for stealing firearms from the Compton City Hall vault. Last week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a motion by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas to match the $10,000 reward offered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Los Angeles Field Division.

"As we have witnessed through countless school and community shootings, guns in the hands of the wrong people can lead to devastating consequences," Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said. "By offering this reward, we hope to help the ATF recover these guns before they can be used, and get to the bottom of how they came to be missing."

The motion stated removing firearms from the street is a priority of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (Board) and is aligned with the recently launched strategy around a countywide gun violence initiative. The motion went on to read, "Additionally, addressing the proliferation of guns is front and center in the national conversation around school shootings and community violence. A matching reward authorized by the Board will help support the federal investigation and ultimately support violence prevention."

Approximately 31 firearms being stored in a vault at the old Compton City Hall, 600 N. Alameda St., have gone missing. It is believed the firearms were stolen between March 6 and Aug. 31, 2017.

The Compton City’s Administration maintained the Compton Police Department’s firearms in its vault after its police department was dismantled. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office (LASD) conducted an inventory of the firearms in March 2017. Compton’s City Council’s office determined LASD should take control of the firearms until a final adjudication was made on whether the Compton Police Department would be restored. The LASD transferred the firearms to its vault on Aug. 31, 2017 and discovered 23 Beretta .40-caliber pistols and eight Glock .40-caliber pistols were missing from the inventory.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by ATF. Anyone with information about the missing firearms is urged to call the local ATF Long Beach office at (818) 265-3760 or the main ATF Los Angeles Field Division number at (818) 265-2500.

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MOTION BY SUPERVISOR MARK RIDLEY-THOMAS April 10, 2018

Establish the Reward Offer for the 31 Missing Firearms in Compton

In March of 2017, Compton city officials discovered a stash of nearly 200 firearms in its old City Hall building. It was unclear where the firearms had come from, why they were being held there, or how long they had been stored there. The weapons were inventoried at 198 and turned over to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD). When the deputies went back to retrieve the firearms in August of 2017, there were only 167 firearms; 31 were missing.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has taken over the investigation to determine who removed, or stole, the 31 firearms. These weapons include 23 Beretta .40-caliber pistols and eight Glock .40-caliber pistols. In order to compel people to come forward with information pertinent to the investigation, on March 27, 2018 the ATF announced a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for stolen firearms from the Compton City Hall vault.

Removing firearms from the street is a priority of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (Board) and is aligned with the recently launched strategy around a countywide gun violence initiative (Kuehl and Ridley-Thomas, March 13, 2018). Additionally, addressing the proliferation of guns is front and center in the national conversation around school shootings and community violence. A matching reward authorized by the Board will help support the federal investigation and ultimately support violence prevention. Any individuals with information about this crime are urged to contact ATF’s Long Beach office.

I THEREFORE MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

Establish the offer of a reward in the amount of $10,000 in exchange for information leading to the apprehension and/or conviction of the person responsible for the person or persons responsible for the stolen firearms from the Compton City Hall vault in 2017.

Contact: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
1-818-265-2500
- or -
ATF Long Beach office
(818) 265-3760

Los Angeles Field Division