Tacoma police issue warning after 10 guns reported stolen out of cars in less than a month

TACOMA, Wash. – Between January 1 and January 22, 10 firearms were reported stolen from Tacoma traffic, according to police. The department is now asking gun owners to make sure their weapons are safe.

“Stolen firearms are finding their way into the hands of teenagers and are being used in violent crimes,” Tacoma Police Chief Avery L. Moore said in a statement. In your car, you’re helping us keep guns out of the hands of minors.

Reports of 10 stolen firearms refer to gun thefts by vehicle snooping. These do not include guns stolen in vehicle thefts.

Police are urging the public to never leave guns in vehicles, even if they are locked.

“I don’t want to embarrass the victim by saying, ‘Don’t lock it up because someone’s going to break into your car’. That sounds horrible, but there are 202 reasons why I would do it.. .. in the hands of who knows– that’s really alarming for all of us,” said Wendy Haddow, public information officer for the Tacoma Police Department.

According to the police department, in 2022, 202 firearms were stolen from a vehicle in Tacoma. Last year was the deadliest year in Tacoma’s history. According to the police department, 45 of Pierce County’s 79 homicides occurred in Tacoma last year, and 43 of those were shootings.

Previously, police said there was also an increase in the number of minors committing violent crimes. Last August, the city released a review of youth violence, saying that Tacomans under the age of 30 die from assault at a similar rate to car accidents. The review describes youth violence as a public health issue and the city should adopt a more family-based approach to address it.

Haddow said: “We’re always asked, ‘How do teenagers get into guns,’ don’t we? And unfortunately, some of those guns can come from snooping cars. hey,” Haddow said.

Earlier this month, Tacoma witnessed three shootings involving teenagers, one of which resulted in the death of 14-year-old Xaviar Siess.

There is a state law that says that if a gun is not properly secured and it is used in a crime, the owner can also face criminal charges for endangering the public by storing it. keep unsafe. The only way they don’t is to report it stolen within five days.

Reporting a gun theft must be done in person or by phone. It cannot be done online.

Clock: Interview with Tacoma Sheriff Avery Moore