Fourteen illegally-possesses pistols, rifles and fully-automatic handguns were seized and seven suspects apprehended after the Richmond Police Department, with assistance from specialized law enforcement agencies throughout Contra Costa County, served five separate search warrants simultaneously on Thursday at residences in Richmond, police said.
The investigation followed a series of violent crimes in the city’s Southern and Central Districts, police said. An RPD patrol officer who formerly worked as a detective with the RPD Community Violence Reduction Team recognized patterns associated with a core group of suspects. The officer launched an investigation and was able to positively identify numerous suspects.
RPD summoned assistance to serve the five separate search warrants Thursday. Along with the firearms, police seized numerous high-capacity magazines and a large cache of illegally-possessed ammunition.
The identities of the suspects were not released.
“This tremendous effort by RPD officers, detectives, and specialized tactical teams would not have been possible without the collaboration and assistance provided by our allied agencies,” police said. “We would like to thank our partnering public safety agencies for their ongoing support, in our efforts to ensure Richmond remains a safe place for our community to live, work and visit.”
