GUNS SEIZED: Child Abuse Investigation Uncovers Large Cache of Illegal Firearms

Suspect charged with felony child endangerment and felon possession of a weapon and criminal storage of a firearm

South Pasadena Police Department

While investigating a child abuse case, South Pasadena Police Department officers uncovered a large amount of firearms on Wednesday inside a residence in the 1100 block of Huntington Drive.

Officers were meeting with the father and three children at the residence when they discovered a fully loaded semi-automatic assault-type rifle in a child’s bedroom.

Police say the father, Paul Anthony Cruz, 34, was found to be a convicted felon, making Cruz a prohibited possessor of any firearms. Authorities say the weapons are not registered to Cruz.

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A social worker with the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services was on the scene with officers and took immediate custody of three toddler aged children and eventually an 11-year-old boy who was not home at the time of the incident.

After a search warrant was obtained, officers discovered an additional eight firearms, some of which were illegal in California, multiple high capacity magazines and large quantities of ammunition. All of the items seized were unsecured and easily accessible to the small children living inside the home.

Cruz was charged with felony child endangerment and felony possession of a weapon and criminal storage of a firearm. The child abuse allegation is under investigation by Los Angels County Department of Child and Family Services.