Beanbag shotgun missing from Sheriff’s Department patrol car found

A loaded beanbag shotgun that fell from the trunk of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department patrol car on Saturday was returned to the department Tuesday, authorities said. The gun, its case and projectiles were all accounted for, they said.

Construction workers driving southbound on the 405 Freeway spotted the black canvas bag that held the weapon near the Skirball Center Drive offramp, according to a statement from the department.

The weapon’s disappearance had spawned a multi-agency search extending from Calabasas to Hollywood. It had last been seen by two deputies at the Lost Hills sheriff’s station in Calabasas early Saturday.

The officers, whose names were not released, unknowingly drove more than 32 miles from Calabasas to the Sunset Boulevard exit of the 101 Freeway in Hollywood with the car’s trunk open about 2 to 3 inches. The only item missing from the trunk was the shotgun.

Searchers, including members of the California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles Police Department and a helicopter crew, retraced the deputies’ route in an unsuccessful attempt to locate the weapon.

The Sheriff’s Department said that an investigation into the incident was ongoing.

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