Pierce Co. man indicted after machine guns, bombs found in car trunk at auto shop
TACOMA, Wash. - A Pierce County man was indicted this week for unlawful possession of firearms, which were stowed in his car when he stopped at an auto shop.
The U.S. Attorney's Office indicted 39-year-old Brady Lee Eltz for unlawful possession of firearms. Eltz is a convicted felon and is barred from owning guns.
According to court records, Fife Police were called on Oct. 4 to an auto-glass repair shop, after workers said Eltz brought in a car that had bullet holes in it. Workers opened the trunk and found several guns stowed in the back.
When police arrived, Eltz hid in the bathroom, according to court records.
Officers went in and checked the cabinet below the sink. They found two handguns, including a stolen one which was modified to fire fully-automatic.
Police towed Eltz's car and executed a search warrant on it. In the car's trunk, they found five more guns, including another fully-automatic modified rifle. They also found a bag with two improvised explosives. Bomb technicians were called in to make sure the devices would not explode.
According to court records, one of the bombs was an ‘explosive simulator’ believed to have been stolen from the U.S. Army.
Additionally, officers seized hundreds of rounds of ammunition, latex face masks, body armor, gun sights, holsters, GPS trackers, knives and a voice-changing device.
Prosecutors say illegal possession of a firearm can be punishable by up to 15 years in prison, and possession of a machine gun is punishable up to 10 years.