Police Confiscate Arsenal of Firearms, Explosives

Los Angeles police said they arrested a man for pointing a weapon at two of his neighbors Wednesday and then found an arsenal of homemade explosives and firearms inside the suspect’s house in the 4500 block of Tujunga Avenue.

Mark Dan Beveren, 42, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. LAPD spokesman Mark Partain said more charges may be filed against him later.

Dan Beveren was standing outside with a .22-caliber rifle when police arrived at his house, where he lives with his mother, Partain said. After taking him into custody, police said, they searched his home and found about two dozen firearms, including three assault weapons, along with shotguns, rifles and handguns. Many of the guns are replicas of antique firearms, Partain said.

“We are now attempting to determine if any of the weapons are in violation of state or federal law,” Partain said.

Police also said they confiscated several “tennis-ball-sized compactions of explosive materials” and homemade grenades. The bomb squad exploded the devices at Hansen Dam.

Dan Beveren’s mother, who would not give her full name, said her son used the explosives for target practice in the desert. Dan Beveren’s mother said he became incensed during the night when a resident of an apartment building next door returned home on a loud motorcycle. Dan Beveren works long hours as a machinist, his mother said, and he hates loud noises.

“I don’t know what the big deal is,” she said. “This is getting blown out of proportion.”

But neighbor Maurice Miller said he is happy that police confiscated the material. “If that stuff had gone off, we would have been in a world of trouble,” he said.