Boaters in Harbour questioned in weapons charge

Five boaters were detained in Huntington Harbour and face possible

firearms charges after they allegedly shot off World War II-era guns from

their 40-foot cruiser near the Port of Los Angeles over the weekend, said

United States Coast Guard officials.

The five boaters’ names are being withheld pending a joint

investigation being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and

Firearms and the Long Beach Police Department, said Latese Baker,

spokeswoman for the Los Angeles office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco

and Firearms.

No arrests have been made.Authorities received a call Saturday from

another boater who reported hearing gunfire near the Port of Los Angeles,

which prompted Coast Guard authorities to send a 41-foot rescue boat and

an 87-foot patrol boat to investigate, said Dan Tremper, spokesman for

the Coast Guard.

Authorities boarded the cruiser shortly after it returned to

Huntington Harbour on Saturday where they found three guns.

“They found three weapons that were pretty serious weaponry of the

machine gun and semiautomatic type,� he said.

The guns are in the custody of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and

Firearms.

Authorities are waiting until they get more information from the

investigation before they determine what they will do with the guns,

Baker said.

Although the Coast Guard doesn’t consider this incident a terrorist

threat, port security has been stepped up since Sept. 11, Tramper said.