Jan 7, 2009 8:25 am US/Pacific
Guns Stolen From Contra Costa Sheriff Patrol Cars
MARTINEZ (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
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Contra Costa County Sheriff patrol car.
CBS
Federal agents are joining the investigation into the theft of guns from Contra Costa County sheriff's patrol cars in a station parking lot.
Sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said a suspect or suspects broke into a secure parking lot in the 1900 block of Muir Road in Martinez by cutting through the fence, and then broke into patrol cars and stole the weapons inside.
The suspect or suspects ransacked three sheriff's patrol vehicles and two vans, taking three AR-15 rifles and one shotgun, Lee said.
The thieves badly damaged some of the patrol cars to get guns out of secured harnesses and locks.
Around the same time, someone broke into a sheriff's patrol vehicle at the Bay Station in Richmond and stole a shotgun from a sheriff's patrol vehicle, Lee said.
Lee said it is not clear whether the same suspect or suspects are responsible for both cases.
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting with the investigation.
The break-in follows a similar incident about a mile away in December, where a burglar cut a fence surrounding a California Highway Patrol lot in Martinez and stole a tactical rifle and ammunition out of a patrol car.
Lee said this week's thefts are a high priority for the sheriff's office and many detectives are working on the case.
"Obviously there is a great concern on our part that these weapons are on the street," Lee said.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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