Atlanta thief steals weapons and law enforcement equipment from officer's vehicle
The suspect stole a rifle and pistol, among other equipment
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An Atlanta thief stole law enforcement equipment and weapons from an officer's vehicle on Tuesday, according to authorities.
The incident comes as the Atlanta Police Department (APD) is making efforts to educate residents how to secure weapons in their vehicles so criminals do not get hold of them, Fox 5 Atlanta first reported.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The officer in question opened his trunk Tuesday to "place a stool" inside only to find that his Tactical Flight Officer (TFO) gear, rifle bag, 9mm pistol and Army bag were missing from his vehicle, which was parked at a Publix grocery store, according to an APD report.
"We messed up on this," Sgt. John Chafee told Fox 5.
The stolen rifle was not loaded, but one of the bags contained five 30-round magazines, though it is unclear how many rounds of ammunition the magazines contained, police said. TFO gear included a tactical vest, gas mask and helmet. The Army bag included ticket books, a fingerprint kit and administrative paperwork, according to police.
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Employees from Publix were able to provide video footage of the area, which shows a dark SUV pulling into the parking spot near the officer's vehicle before the suspect exits the vehicle and pops the officer's lock "to steal the items," authorities said.
Police and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are investigating the incident, according to Fox 5.