Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have been finding suspects armed with guns found missing in cargo shipments on trains near downtown Los Angeles, reports the Associated Press. Last summer, police arrested three suspects armed with new .22-caliber handguns from a missing batch of 36. Afterward, L.A. police caught two suspects with guns they believe came from a missing shipment of 46 shotguns. One suspect said that the firearms came from cargo containers in Los Angeles' Lincoln Heights rail yard. So far, 82 guns have been known to have been stolen.
Los Angeles Police Capt. German Hutado worries about firearms that may have been stolen from containers without any locks. "These guns were unguarded, unprotected ... God knows how many guns have been stolen that way," he said. This month, local TV stations reported thousands of emptied boxes surrounding the train tracks. California Gov. Gavin Newsom led a cleanup of the rail yards but did not mention the stolen guns.