WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Sunday, July 5, an unidentified man was found holding what appeared to be a rocket-propelled grenade, otherwise known as an RPG. The man told deputies that another man asked to see the item and had been the one walking around showing it to people near the 9000 block of Sunset Boulevard. That second man had already left the scene before deputies arrived.
Several 911 calls were received around 2 a.m., alerting authorities to the suspect with what looked like a military-style weapon in the popular nightlife district.
Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department arrived on scene and determined the weapon was a non-working replica. Authorities took a misdemeanor report for brandishing a replica firearm, an offense that carries a minimum of 30 days and up to six months in county jail, plus up to $1000 in fines, under California Penal Code 417.4.
Brandishing an imitation firearm under Penal Code 417.4 is charged only as a misdemeanor in California, unlike brandishing an actual weapon or firearm under Penal Code 417, which can be elevated to a felony under certain aggravating circumstances such as serious injury or brandishing near a day care.
No arrests were made, and the names of both men involved have not been released to the public.
By Milan Manesh