Richmond man who had huge arsenal seized in January facing 21 felony counts for threats, illegal weapons
A Richmond man with a history of making violent threats who had a massive cache of over 200 firearms including dozens of machine guns and assault rifles seized at his home in late January is now facing 21 felony charges, according to the Contra Costa County DA.
A press release issued Tuesday by the Contra Costa District Attorney's office provided some details on the 21-count felony complaint against 68-year-old Richmond resident Lawrence Robert Hansen for possessing a large arsenal of illegal weapons, high-capacity magazines, and homemade explosives. Hansen is in custody after being arrested by Richmond Police on an outstanding warrant on Sunday. He is also listed on the Armed and Prohibited Persons System, which tracks individuals who are not legally allowed to own or possess firearms.
The press release provided some details on previous run-ins Hansen had with the law. Between 2022-2023, he made several violent firearm-related threats directed towards medical staff at a Walnut Creek clinic while seeking treatment. Staff members reported those threats to Walnut Creek Police on September 18th of last year. In a separate incident less than a week later on September 26th, Hansen was transported to a hospital in Walnut Creek for a medical issue. While he was being examined, a staff member saw that Hansen had a handgun that was later determined to be loaded tucked in his waistband. Police were informed of the incident after the weapon was taken from Hansen.
A combination of the legal prohibition against Hansen possessing firearms and the threats of violence made towards medical employees led to a court-ordered warrant and search of his Richmond home on January 31, 2024, by members from the Contra Costa Anti-Violence Support Effort Task Force, California Department of Justice's Bureau of Firearms, and Contra Costa County Probation Officers.
State Attorney General Rob Bonta released information about that search over two weeks after the warrant was executed. Authorities found 11 machine guns, 60 assault rifles, and dozens of other firearms along with approximately one million rounds of ammunition of miscellaneous calibers. There were also 3,000 large-capacity magazines and 20 silencers in the cache of weapons.
The AG's office released video from Hansen's home in Richmond where local and state officers convened on January 31st. Bomb squad technicians from Travis Air Force Base were also involved.
Hansen was arraigned on March 18th in Martinez. He entered a "not guilty" plea and is being held without bail in the Martinez Detention Facility. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 27th in Department 23 at 8:30 a.m.
