UCLA Shooter's Car Found In Culver City

CULVER CITY (CBSLA.com) — A car with Minnesota license plates belonging to UCLA shooter Mainak Sarkar was located Friday in Culver City.

The car was found along Washington Place just west of Sawtelle Boulevard around 2:30 p.m., according to police.

Photos posted on social media showed a Nissan Sentra with a plate number matching the one that was put out by authorities following Wednesday's shooting at UCLA.

Police on Thursday put out a BOLO for the vehicle with Minnesota plate number 720 KTW.

The finding created a traffic backup along surrounding streets in the Culver City area.

CBS2's Peter Daut said the car was found parked in front of a home.

Officials did not expect the car to pose any sort of danger but the bomb squad was called in as a precaution.

A lot of questions remain, including why did the shooter park his car in Culver City and how did he get to the UCLA campus -- about six miles away?

Daut reported that all streets were back open on the KCAL9 News at 8 p.m.

Officials explained that a bicyclist noticed the vehicle and called 911.

Inside the car, the LAPD found several canisters filled with gas and a handgun.

Police believe Sarkar parked the car at random and then took a bus to the UCLA campus.

Authorities believe Sarkar parked near a bus stop he was familiar with.

"He parked his vehicle here and took a bus route he would have taken on a regular badid to UCLA," said LAPD Captain Billy Hayes.

Edwin Medina and his daughter said they walked by the car several times.. never realizing its connection to the deadly attack at UCLA.

"To think he parked literally right across the street -- that liquor store we go to all the time. My daughter and I to go get some ice cream. we pass that street every single day," said Medina.