November 18, 2024 -- The LA County Bomb Squad on Sunday cleared a house near the eastern edge of the city after police responding to a report of shots fired found booby trap devices.
Officers responded to the 3300 Block of Exposition Boulevard after a neighbor reported the shots and told dispatchers she "heard a male voice coming from the garage threatening to kill someone," police said.
The officers found two elderly women inside the house unharmed, said SMPD spokesperson Lt. Ericka Aklufi. They also found the third member of the household, suspect Arthur Hideki Tabuchi, 61, also unharmed.
When the officers checked the garage, they found a shotgun shell -- a cylindrical container with a brass base that holds gunpowder -- mounted on top of a work bench, according to police.
"The shell had been rigged with a spring-loaded firing pin and wire attached to the end of the pin and the garage door," Aklufi said.
"Officers determined the wire was set to pull the pin out of the housing and fire the shell toward the door when opened."
The officers found another shotgun shell next to a pedestrian gate on the north side of the house "with a similar firing pin/trip wire set up," Aklufi said.
The shell, which had been altered to be a sound diversion device without a projectile, "had been recently discharged and is believed to be the source of the original shots fired call," she said.
After finding the two devices, officers "evacuated the house and called the LA County Bomb Squad to clear the residence and garage of additional booby traps," Aklufi said.
None was found, and the shotgun shell in the garage was dismantled, according to police.
After obtaining a search warrant, police searched the residence and "found additional illegally obtained ammunition," Aklufi said.
Tabuchi was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation, she said.
Police will file felony charges of assembling, placing and maintaining a booby trap by written complaint with the District Attorney’s office.
Anyone with information about the subject or incident should email Detective McCoy at james.mccoy@santamonica.gov or Sergeant Cooney at shaun.cooney@santamonica.gov, or call the Watch Commander 24 hours a day at 310-458-8427.