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Man accused of having sniper rifles, thousand of ammo in Hollywood high-rise home appears in court
FOX 11 News got its first look at Braxton Johnson, the man accused of having high-powered weapons in his high-rise apartment in Hollywood.
LOS ANGELES - A 25-year-old man is behind bars after police say he had a sniper rifle and a cache of other weapons in his Hollywood high-rise apartment.
When the Los Angeles Police Department first found a sniper rifle, two assault rifles and a "thousand of rounds" of ammo from the home of Braxton Johnson, both the public – and the police – initially feared Johnson may have been plotting a possible mass shooting. But after a series of investigation, LAPD announced Thursday night that there were "no indications that any persons were threatened with a firearm nor have [LAPD] identified any intent by Johnson to plan a mass shooting incident."
LAPD's revelation comes a day after officials thanked the public and security staff for preventing a possible mass shooting from taking place.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Police Department initially responded to a call of a man possibly suffering from a mental health crisis, saying the security guards at the high-rise building located at Sunset Boulevard and Gordon Avenue reported a resident had been making threats. Officers then searched the 25-year-old suspect's Hollywood home and found all the aforementioned weapons on the 18th floor – where he lives.
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LAPD: Weapons seizure likely prevented a mass shooting
Los Angeles police officers seized several high-powered weapons from a man accused of making criminal threats.
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LAPD busts man with cache of weapons, ammo, thwarting potential mass shooting
A neighbor on the 18th floor recorded the moments LAPD tried to make contact with the suspect. An arsenal was found inside his apartment along with body armor after he allegedly made criminal threats.
The apartment had large windows with a non-obstructed view of the Gordon Street Park downstairs, and some of the rifles were pointed down, outside the windows, LAPD Lt. Leonid Tsap said during a press conference Wednesday.
One neighbor said Johnson had mentioned he had a military background and that Johnson believed the CIA was after him.
In addition to the sniper rifle and the assault rifles, LAPD also found a shotgun and three pistols. All the guns were unregistered. Johnson was arrested after the search.
A day before LAPD walked back the possible mass shooting plot allegations, Tsap gave the public kudos for alerting police that something felt off when the 25-year-old suspect had allegedly suffered a mental health crisis.
"They notified us and worked together with the police to bring this to a safe conclusion. It's a great police work and a great teamwork by community members and our police officers to take the suspect off the streets and possibly prevent something of a heinous crime like a mass shooting," Tsap said.
Johnson's bail was set at $500,000.
If you're in distress due to recent incidents of mass violence, please know that there is help is available. Talk to experienced counselors at the Disaster Distress Helpline for 24/7 emotional support. Call or text 1-800-985-5990. Click here for additional resources.