Police find arsenal of weapons in Brookline home

BROOKLINE, Mass. (WHDH) -- A man was arrested after police found high-powered weapons, silencers, and ammunition in his Brookline apartment.

“Twelve hundred rounds of armor piercing bullets as well. So yes, this is not the everyday gun collector,” said Sergeant Mark Trahon, Brookline Police Department.

Police recovered three dozen guns including UZI's and assault rifles. It was a surprise to officers, but it was a discovery even more shocking to neighbors.

“Brookline is considered kind of a safe place,” one man said.

The 55-year old suspect wasn't even on the police department's radar until a few days ago. No one had seen the man for some time, so the health department and officers went to the Harvard Street house to see if he was okay.

He was, but police say something didn't seem right. They went back checked his record, and saw his gun license expired over a decade ago, and he had two arrest warrants for skipping jury duty.

Even with a search warrant, officers didn't barge into the home.

“We didn't know what we were going to encounter, so the safest thing was to take up surveillance and wait for him to come out,” said Sergeant Trahon.

What they recovered was far more than they expected. Along with fully-automatic guns, and extended gun clips, the suspect had silencers.

“I was a little worried, I think the silencers are the most concerning because it seems like there would be ill intentions to have silencers,” one woman said.

Police say the guns were in a locked area of his home, and don't know why he had so many guns and bullets. They're just happy the stockpile is now off the streets.

“It's the unknown, and the unknown is the most dangerous,” said Sergeant Trahon.

When the man was arrested, he immediately asked to be taken to the hospital. He is expected to be arraigned in court Wednesday morning.