Sheriff’s deputies were working near Hillcrest Parkway Thursday afternoon, investigating to locate a firearm misplaced by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department recruit, according to law enforcement personnel.
Deputy Alejandra Parra, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Information Bureau, confirmed that a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department operation was underway in the area and involved the nearby jail.
“An academy recruit misplaced a firearm in the area of Pitchess Detention Center,” said Parra. “An intensive and thorough search has taken place in the area. At this time, there is no reason to believe the firearm was stolen or fell into the wrong hands.”
As of 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, LASD deputies said the investigation was ongoing into the whereabouts of the firearm.
Before a statement was ultimately released later in the evening, at approximately 3:30 p.m. Parra said the Sheriff’s Department was declining to comment further on the specifics of the operation itself.
“They did have an incident and it was concerning more of the jail facilities up there,” said Parra. “We’re not releasing information on that at this point.”
“It has nothing to do with any schools or anything like that,” Parra added.
When asked if the operation involved an escaped inmate, Parra said that it did not.
Officials at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deferred comment on the incident to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
