Police in a posh Los Angeles neighbourhood made a staggering discovery of more than 1,000 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition stashed in a mansion.
Officers and The US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said they arrested an unnamed man after serving a search warrant at the Holmby Hills property at around 4am.
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of “unlawful transportation, and of giving, lending or selling an assault weapon,” the LAPD told the Los Angeles Times.
The upscale neighbourhood is located a stone’s throw from the Playboy mansion and the multimillion-dollar homes of celebrities including Jay-Z and Beyoncé.
Photographs and video taken in the bust’s aftermath show officers surveying piles of rifles and pistols stacked on blankets outside the home, and boxes upon boxes of ammunition arranged in piles inside.
Authorities reportedly received an anonymous tip about someone illegally manufacturing and selling weapons.
According to the AP, firearm manufacturing equipment and tools were also found in the mansion.
Citing court records, the Times said the property, which is believed to be worth several million, is owned by Cynthia Beck, who has three daughters with Gordon Getty, the son of oil baron J. Paul Getty. Beck’s connection with the weapons cache and the man’s arrest remains unknown, however. Beck reportedly owns several mansions in the LA area.
The mansion where the guns were found is located in an area popular with celebrities.
Jay-Z and Beyonce’s $88-million dollar home (£68 million) is less than a mile away, the Times noted. The Playboy mansion and late singer Michael Jackson’s former home are also located nearby, per TMZ.