RICHMOND — A Richmond man allegedly caught with enough guns and ammunition to equip a small army is set to have a preliminary hearing soon on 18 felony and three misdemeanor charges, court records show.
Lawrence Hansen, 68, is scheduled to go before Judge Charles “Ben” Burch on May 10, where police and other witnesses will testify about the hundreds of guns, 11,000 pounds of ammunition, 46 grenades, 22 suppressors and other weaponry allegedly found in his home. Hansen’s preliminary hearing date was confirmed at a Monday morning hearing. He remains jailed while the case is pending.
Hansen’s charges represent the Bay Area’s biggest arms stockpiling case in recent memory, and it all started when he made alleged threats to hospital staff at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek. According to police, nurses there said Hansen was known for “ranting” about how white people like him didn’t receive proper care there, and told one doctor he hoped the physician owned a bulletproof vest.
Hansen had a gun at his waistband during one visit to the hospital, and also showed up there wearing a large knife around his neck, according to police. He also reportedly joked about beating up the doctor to steal his wedding ring, and claimed to be a retired cop, though authorities say they were unable to find any evidence that he truly worked in law enforcement.
In one conversation, Hansen said he struggled with sleep due to high pain levels, and that he “sits up all night outside his house to guard the neighborhood,” according to a police report. After the hospital took out a restraining order against him, police showed up to the 5600 block of Doremus Avenue in East Richmond Heights to seize whatever firearms he possessed.
There, authorities stumbled upon a gun collection of major proportions, comprising at least 230 firearms, including numerous assault weapons and machine guns, according to court records.
