Menifee police find homemade .50-caliber firearm during call for service

A homemade gun capable of shooting .50-caliber Browning Machine Gun ammunition was discovered by police during a recent call for service at a home in Menifee. 

According to a news release from the Menifee Police Department, officers found the "fully functional homemade .50 BMG firearm" with several .50 BMG rifle rounds. 

"Due to the unusual construction and potential danger of the weapon, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's Hazardous Device Team responded to assist ... in safely examining and clearing the firearm," the release said. 

Police said an additional concern was the lack of several important safety components typically found on commercially manufactured firearms, which they believed would increase the risk to anyone who tried to operate it. 

The suspect who allegedly had the weapon was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition, police said, adding that they were booked on multiple charges. They have not yet been identified.