Oakland man charged with making, test-firing ghost guns for sale in neighborhood

OAKLAND, Calif. - An Oakland man has been arrested and charged with making - and test-firing - ghost guns for sale in his neighborhood.

Neighbors told KTVU they've heard gunfire in recent weeks in the city's Chabot Park neighborhood off I-580.

"There was a barrage of shooting, like rah-pah-pah-pah-pah-pah," said Elizabeth Jefferson, who works as a nurse.

"It reminds me when I was on a military base back home, in the war zone," she said.

Another woman who lives nearby and didn't want to go on camera says she was terrified.

"I just heard a lot of bullets, and I got away from my doors and my windows because I didn't know where they were coming from," she said.

According to Oakland police, it turns out one of their neighbors, Michael Nguyen, 33, was responsible.

"This individual was manufacturing these weapons, and these weapons more likely would have ended up on Oakland streets," Armstrong said. 

Armstrong said Nguyen was also putting many of these guns up for sale. But he apparently needed to make sure these weapons would pass muster with customers.

"It was clear he was test-firing these weapons as well, with some of the evidence that we recovered inside the property," the chief said.

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"It's dangerous, because these days we don't know who's our neighbor, and we can end up being dead in our house," Jefferson said.

Jefferson showed KTVU bullet casing that she found on her driveway, possibly from a 30-caliber or AK-type weapon

‘It all began at about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, when Oakland police began receiving many calls about gunshots being fired on Broadmoor View not far from the Oakland Zoo. Staff at the nearby Alameda County coroner’s office also reported hearing gunfire.

The suspect was arrested after police say he came out of his home wearing body armor. 

Officers said they found a bullet casing in his driveway.

Police say they seized at least 20 AR-15 rifles and handguns -- all ghost guns - as well as Tasers and a 3D printer that was used to make the weapons.

The chief hopes the arrest will give neighbors some measure of peace. 

"So really for us was us being able to double-down on my commitment back in September to gun violence and focus on removing guns from the community," Armstrong said.