A police officer's two handguns were stolen during a vehicle break-in Monday in Oakland, authorities said.
Oakland Police Department spokesperson Officer Johnna Watson said the officer, who was off-duty and with the Taft Police Department in Kern County, parked an unmarked Taft city vehicle in the 400 block of Hegenberger Road, just off Interstate 880. The vehicle was broken into at 11:16 a.m., Watson said.
"It has been reported that two handguns have been taken. The Oakland Police Department understands the seriousness of the items that were taken in this auto burglary. Our patrol officers and investigators are working diligently to identify who is responsible for this crime, effecting an arrest and recovering the stolen property," Watson said in a statement.
Anyone with information on the crime may contact the Oakland Police Burglary Unit at 510-238-3951.
Monday's incident follows last week's announcement by the San Francisco Sheriff's Department a deputy's gun was stolen from a rental car parked in the city's Potrero Hill neighborhood.
Guns stolen from law enforcement have been used in several fatal shootings in recent years.
San Francisco police reported earlier this month a gun stolen from an officer's personal vehicle on Aug. 12 was used in an alleged crime spree over the next several days, including the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Abel Enrique Esquivel Jr., on Aug. 15 in the city's Mission District.
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Three people have been arrested in connection with that shooting, which allegedly occurred during a robbery.
A gun stolen from a U.S. Bureau of Land Management agent was also used in the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Kate Steinle in July 2015 in San Francisco. Jose Ines Garcia-Zarate, 54, is expected to stand trial on a murder charge in that case later this fall.
A gun stolen from a U.S. Bureau of Land Management agent was also used in the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Kate Steinle in July 2015 in San Francisco. Jose Ines Garcia-Zarate, 54, is expected to stand trial on a murder charge in that case later this fall.
And in Oakland, 27-year-old Antonio Ramos was shot and killed on Sept. 29, 2015, with a gun that had been stolen from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent's car weeks earlier. Police arrested 20-year-old Marquise Holloway in connection with the shooting on Nov. 20.
In response to those and other incidents, a state law was signed last year requiring that law enforcement officers store guns in a locked trunk or safe box if they are kept in a vehicle. Civilians were already required to store their weapons securely but law enforcement had previously been exempt.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors also passed an ordinance in February 2016 requiring all weapons left in vehicles to be secured in a locked trunk or lock box, for both civilians and law enforcement.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
