Full Notification

On Saturday, November 21, 2015, at approximately 6:00 p.m., Carson Sheriff’s Station Deputies Clayton Stelter and Steven Nemeth were working together in a two-man patrol unit near the intersection of Doble Avenue and Lomita Boulevard, in Unincorporated Harbor City.

While patrolling the area, they discovered what appeared to be a homeless encampment on private property.  They exited their patrol vehicle and continued their investigation on foot, where they made contact with a man who exited a tent inside the encampment. 

Further investigation revealed that the man, 59 year-old Richard Cunningham, was illegally in possession of, what appeared to be, two fully-operational machine guns.  Cunningham also possessed four handguns, two make-shift suppressors, and numerous rounds of ammunition.

Deputies Stelter and Nemeth arrested the suspect for numerous weapons violations. He was transported to Carson Sheriff’s Station where he was booked and is currently being held in lieu of $166,500 bail. 

Suspect Cunningham was arraigned yesterday at Compton Superior Court, and a future court date is pending.

Thanks to the proactive work of Deputies Stelter and Nemeth, dangerous and illegal weapons are off the street, and a previously convicted felon has been arrested.

The investigation is on-going, and no additional information is available at this time.

For media inquiries or anyone with information about this incident, please contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Carson Sheriff’s Station, Detective Arreola, at (310) 830-1123.  If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call "Crime Stoppers" by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), or texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.

Authored by:

Detective Mark Pope

Carson Sheriff’s Station

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

21356 S. Avalon Blvd, Carson

(310) 830-1123

Forwarded by:

Juanita Navarro-Suarez, Deputy

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