Woodland Police Allegedly Seize 19-Year-Old's Large Weapon Stash And Contraband
WOODLAND (CBS13) — The Woodland Police Department seized a large stash of assault weapons from a 19-year old after being notified by his parents that he was threatening to harm himself., say police.
The officers were recently called to a home on the 700 block of East Street in Woodland where they say they discovered that the 19-year-old had been stockpiling assault weapons, storing them in unusual places such as the trash bin.
When the officers arrived, they took the teen into custody in order to ensure the safety of himself and his family before investigating further.
A neighbor, who did not want to be identified or speak on camera because of safety concerns, told CBS13 she saw police activity on the street at the home. She said it was a concern it happened in her neighborhood.
Another neighbor and father of three said that from now on would take a closer look at who was coming and going around his home.
"It's really hard to put into words how to keep your kids safe," said Daniel Wells.
His children are 8, 17, and 20. When he heard about this arrest and that police were notified by the man's parents, Wells said he didn't know what he would do.
"It's concerning, you know. I don't know what the appropriate response would be," said Wells.
Woodland police found evidence that led them to believe more weapons were kept at other locations.
After serving several search warrants at those locations, the officers were able to confiscate a total of "5 AR-style rifles, 6 semi-automatic handguns, high-capacity magazines, plus hundreds of rounds of handgun and rifle ammunition," according to the Woodland Police Department's Facebook page.
"The task force also discovered evidence of weapons manufacturing going on at some of these locations and recovered 3 AR-style rifles that were 80% complete, and 3 pistols that were also 80% complete," the department added.
"That's scary to know, we used to live just over here. We moved away because there was shootings across the street from us," said Chris Cheslog, a Woodland resident.
The Woodland Police Department picked up where the Yolo County Gang Task Force left off in 2017. Last year, they established a Gang Task Force to respond to the rise in gang-related activity.
That same Gang Task Force is the group that made this arrest and confiscated the weapons and contraband.
The 19-year-old was charged with illegal possession of assault rifles. The investigation is still open.