California deputies found an illegal arsenal of weapons at an apartment belonging to a man who allegedly made violent threats.
Braxton Johnson, 25, was taken into custody after he allegedly threatened security staff and neighbours on Tuesday at a Hollywood high-rise off Sunset Boulevard.
The New York Post reported that Johnson was a disturbed ex-military man and was first confronted by cops for a mental health check. Neighbours said Johnson talked in bizarre accents while claiming the CIA was after him and even asked one woman if she needed anyone killed. Police said that they are investigating and had talked to Johnson’s family “to provide any required support services.
Braxton Johnson, 25, was arrested on Tuesday after allegedly threatening the neighbors; illegal firearms were found in his apartment. (Photo: Facebook | Braxton Johnson)
Police searched Johnson’s apartment on the 18th floor. They found several illegal firearms: Two assault rifles, high-capacity ammunition magazines, three semiautomatic pistols, a shotgun, a sniper, and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, as reported on Fox News.
Police Lt. Leonid Tsap said in a statement that officers also found several rifles pointed from windows toward a neighbouring park. They did not specify the park’s name, but the online map shows a dog park next to the apartment complex.
Tsap said at a news conference Wednesday that there was “a high chance” the officer, security staff, and witnesses who grabbed Johnson had “prevented a mass shooting.”
However, police backtracked that statement on Thursday, where they believed there was no threat to the public.
They released a statement saying there are no indications that any person was threatened with a firearm nor any intent by Johnson to plan a mass shooting incident.
Johnson pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges of possessing an assault weapon, criminal threats, and solicitation of murder. He was imprisoned on $500,000 but raised more than $1 million on Thursday. He was also under investigation on the East Coast for a violent crime. However, the police did not share further details.
