A stolen Audi, multiple arrests and three loaded handguns—including two unserialized “ghost guns”—were recovered after Santa Monica police officers spotted a vehicle connected to suspicious activity and followed up after it crashed.
The investigation began during a recent catalytic converter operation and ultimately uncovered an armed carjacking connection, multiple suspects and a backpack containing loaded firearms.
WHAT HAPPENED
On Aug. 25, Santa Monica Police Department officers spotted a black Audi that had been previously observed during their investigation.
A short time later, officers located the Audi after it crashed near 2nd Street and Colorado Avenue. Several occupants fled from the vehicle, prompting a coordinated police response that resulted in officers quickly locating and detaining those involved.
But the investigation did not end with the arrests.
After the occupants fled, another individual who was not associated with them approached the abandoned Audi, removed a black backpack from inside and ran from the area.
Using resources from the department’s SMART Center, officers tracked down the individual as he discarded the backpack in a nearby alley.
A second individual, also not associated with the vehicle occupants, then picked up the discarded backpack and attempted to conceal it at a nearby construction site.
Officers located the backpack and discovered three loaded handguns inside.
What Police Found
The three firearms recovered from the backpack included two unserialized firearms commonly referred to as “ghost guns.”
Police said the weapons were loaded when officers found them.
The individual who allegedly attempted to conceal the backpack was also taken into custody, adding another arrest to an investigation that had started with officers simply observing a suspicious vehicle.
The firearm recovery also added a serious weapons component to the case, with detectives now having to investigate how the guns came to be inside the abandoned vehicle and who possessed them.
The Stolen Audi Connection
The investigation took another major turn when the Audi was subsequently confirmed to have been stolen during an armed carjacking.
According to police, the vehicle was connected to an armed carjacking being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart Division.
That discovery expanded the significance of the initial traffic investigation, linking the abandoned Audi to a separate violent crime investigation in Los Angeles.
The confirmation also gave investigators another avenue for determining who had been inside the vehicle and what role each person may have played.
Multiple Arrests
Four individuals associated with the Audi were taken into custody, including two juveniles.
Police also arrested the individual who allegedly attempted to conceal the backpack after another person removed it from the Audi.
The circumstances surrounding each person’s arrest and their potential involvement in the stolen vehicle, firearms or carjacking remain part of the investigation.
Authorities have not indicated that every person taken into custody was necessarily connected to every aspect of the case.
The Role of Technology
Police credited the department’s SMART Center resources with helping officers locate the individual who removed the backpack from the Audi.
The technology-assisted response became an important part of the investigation after the person ran from the area and discarded the backpack.
Officers were then able to recover the backpack before it could disappear from the scene.
The Santa Monica Police Department highlighted the incident as an example of how technology and coordinated police work can help investigators follow evidence after suspects flee.
The Bigger Picture
What initially appeared to be a suspicious-vehicle investigation quickly developed into a much larger case involving a stolen car, an armed carjacking, multiple arrests and three loaded firearms.
The recovery of two unserialized “ghost guns” is also significant because such firearms can be difficult for investigators to trace through traditional serial-number records.
The case demonstrates how an initial observation by patrol officers can lead to additional discoveries when investigators continue following evidence after a suspect vehicle is abandoned.
The department also emphasized the importance of cooperation between agencies, particularly because the Audi was ultimately linked to an LAPD investigation.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Investigators will continue working to determine the circumstances surrounding the armed carjacking, the stolen Audi and the firearms recovered from the backpack.
Authorities are also expected to determine how the three loaded handguns came into the possession of the people involved and whether additional charges will result from the investigation.
The case remains active as investigators work to establish the roles of the individuals arrested and determine whether anyone else may have been involved.
WHAT WE STILL DON'T KNOW
- Who originally possessed the three loaded firearms found inside the backpack?
- How the two unserialized “ghost guns” came into the vehicle.
- What role each of the four individuals associated with the Audi allegedly played.
- Whether additional arrests or charges will follow.
- How the firearms and stolen Audi are connected to the underlying armed carjacking investigation.