Thieves Steal Handguns From Truck In San Francisco's Japantown
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – Police in San Francisco said thieves made off with three handguns from an auto burglary in the city's Japantown Tuesday afternoon.
Officer Carlos Manfredi told KCBS that the smash-and-grab took place around 3:00 p.m. near Geary and Webster.
Police said the guns had been left inside a bag visible on the backseat of a pickup truck.
"If you're traveling with weapons, always either secure them with you or put it somewhere to where it's bolted to the vehicle, make it difficult for anybody to try to take," Manfredi told KCBS.
California law requires that civilians who leave handguns in cars store them either in a secure lockbox or in the trunk.
Manfredi said investigators are trying to find surveillance video of the incident. They have no information yet about a possible suspect.
Tuesday's burglary is the latest of many auto burglaries involving stolen guns dating back to last year. Over the weekend, an FBI agent's gun was stolen from a car near Alamo Square. The agent's weapon was recovered Tuesday and a suspect was taken into custody.
Last year, a stolen Bureau of Land Management ranger's gun was used in the murder of Kate Stienle on the city's waterfront. Also, a firearm taken from a civilian's car in San Francisco was used in the murders of a San Francisco tourist and a Marin hiker.
