Guns seized from Hansen’s home in Richmond during his first arrest announced in February. Photos: CA DOJ
Cache of weapons included machine guns, assault rifles, silencers, homemade explosives
CA Attorney General announced first arrest in Feb., but state DOJ didn’t request prosecution and suspect was released, re-arrested March 17
By Ted Asregadoo, PIO, Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office
Martinez, California – The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office filed a 21-count felony complaint against a Richmond man for possessing a large cache of illegal weapons, high-capacity magazines, and homemade explosives.
68-year-old Lawrence Robert Hansen (born 7/15/55) of Richmond is in custody after he was arrested on an outstanding warrant on March 17th by Richmond Police. Hansen is also listed on the Armed and Prohibited Persons System which tracks individuals who are barred from owning or possessing firearms.
Between 2022-2023, Hansen made several violent firearm-related threats to medical staff at a Walnut Creek clinic while seeking treatment. Staff members reported those threats to Walnut Creek Police on September 18th, 2023. In a separate incident, Hansen was transported to a hospital in Walnut Creek on September 26th, 2023, for a medical issue. During an examination, a staff member saw that Hansen had a handgun (later determined to be loaded) in his waistband area. The weapon was taken from Hansen and police were informed.
Because of the legal prohibition against Hansen possessing firearms, as well as threats made to medical employees, members from the Contra Costa Anti-Violence Support Effort Task Force, California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Bureau of Firearms, and Contra Costa County Probation Officers searched Hansen’s residence with a court-ordered warrant in Richmond on January 31, 2024. During the search, agents found 11 machine guns, more than 130 handguns, 37 rifles, 60 assault rifles, 7 shotguns, 3,000 large capacity magazines, several grenades (inert), homemade explosives, incendiary ammunition, and around one million rounds of ammunition.
Hansen was arraigned on March 18th in Martinez. He entered a plea of not guilty and is being held without bail in the Martinez Detention Facility. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 27th in Department 23 at 8:30 am.
As previously reported, following the Jan. 31 search, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Feb. 15 the arrest of Hansen. Asked why he was out of custody and arrested again on March 17, Asregadoo responded, “Upon receiving a request for prosecution (RFP) from the arresting police agency, a case undergoes review to determine whether to file charges. The RFP should include investigative reports and evidence relevant to the case. In the instance of Lawrence Robert Hansen, the arresting agency, Cal DOJ, did not immediately request prosecution at the time of arrest. Instead, Cal DOJ chose to finalize their investigation before submitting the request for prosecution along with associated reports and evidence to the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office.”
According to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, Hansen is a 5-foot, 11-inch, 190-pound Hispanic man.
Case No. 02-24-00234 | The People of the State of California v. Hansen, Lawrence Robert
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
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