A report of stolen weapons in at the Valencia Commerce Center in Castaic led to Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies discovering an arsenal in Simi Valley and arresting a suspect Tuesday, Sheriff’s Station officials said.

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Jeffrey Edmonds, 37, of Simi Valley, is being charged with grand theft, impersonating a peace officer and possession of illegal weapons.

“The investigation began as a case of grand theft in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, and led to detectives discovering the alleged officer impersonation and cache of illegal weapons,” said Deputy Josh Dubin of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

“Through a thorough investigation, deputies were able to recover the stolen property and charge the suspect, as well as seize several illegal firearms,” Dubin said.

On Sept. 5, the owner of a licensed firearms manufacturer reported two parts of an AR-15 rifle were stolen from his business in the Valencia Industrial Center.

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies are still investigating the evidence, and did not release the details of the weapons found.

However, video released from the search warrant shows dozens of weapons, as well as gas masks, flash bang grenades and weapons that were allegedly modified to illegal specifications.

Deputies were able to identify Edmonds through the course of their investigation. His occupation is listed as a behavioral specialist in the Sheriff’s Station arrest records.

Detectives contacted the Los Angeles Police Department and notified them of the incident, and that they had a suspect who claimed to be an LAPD officer.

Detectives learned from contacting the LAPD that the badge and identification card used by Edmonds was fake, and he was not actually a sworn law enforcement officer.

After an investigation, Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station detectives, working with deputies

from the Sheriff’s Department’s Major Crimes Bureau, served a search warrant on Edmonds home.

At Edmonds’ Royal Avenue home, deputies alleged they found numerous weapons, some of which were illegally modified, and some of which are illegal to own, according to Sheriff’s Station officials.

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies and detectives worked with the Sheriff’s Department’s Major Crimes Bureau’s Fugitive Task Force, which is comprised of members of the U.S Marshall’s Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force, in making the arrest, Dubin said.

Deputies also found the badge Edmonds allegedly used to impersonate a captain with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Edmonds is linked online to Muzzle Flash Media, “a veteran owned and operated multimedia company that is mission driven for the firearms and tactical community.”

Deputies did not release the name of the victim in the theft, however, Muzzle Flash claims a working relationship to Cobra Tactical and several other weapons-industry related companies on its website. Cobra Tactical is located in the Valencia Industrial Center.

Edmonds is being held in downtown Los Angeles in lieu of $250,000 bail.

He is due in court Thursday.

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Source: Santa Clarita News

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