Los Angeles police officers seized multiple weapons from a man they arrested Tuesday for allegedly making criminal threats, averting a possible mass shooting, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, Braxton Johnson, 25, was arrested Tuesday after officers responded to a report of a man with possible mental illness, and “determined the elements of Criminal Threats had been met.”
A photo shared by the LAPD shows “several high-powered rifles, shotguns, handguns and a large cache of various munitions,” recovered during the execution of a search warrant at Johnsons apartment in a high-rise building on Gordon Street in Hollywood.
According to a statement from Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, “some of those weapons were allegedly loaded and staged at an [angle] near a glass window facing a public area.”
A video shared by Alina Makarova, a resident across the hall from Johnson, shows officers outside the apartment before they gain entry.
“According to neighbors, the dude was wearing an armor vest, saying creepy things and was involved in gunshot wounding one of the (possibly) tenants days earlier. Oh yeah, his loaded sniper was aimed at the park,” Makarova said.
Johnson was charged with two counts of possession of an assault weapon, one count of criminal threats and one count of solicitation of murder.
“Los Angeles County is still reeling over the tragic mass shooting in Monterey Park,” Gascón said. “Were it not for the brave actions of the witnesses in this case this could have also been an incredible tragedy. I want to also thank the LAPD for quickly apprehending this person and potentially saving countless lives.”
