Arlington police warn gun owners about dangers of leaving guns in vehicles
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Arlington police are warning gun owners about how dangerous it can be to leave your weapon in your car.
Police said some of the guns being stolen out of cars are used in crimes they're now working to solve.
"We have noticed that there has been a rise in vehicle burglaries, more importantly, firearms have been stolen from those vehicles," Sgt. Courtney White said.
So far this year, 305 reports have been made for stolen guns and 158 of those stolen guns were from vehicle burglaries.
"That's a big deal for us, we have a lot of children here," White said. "Most of the vehicle burglaries are from restaurants, parking lots, residential neighborhoods and apartment communities. We don't want to make those firearms accessible to children."
Police told CBS 11 they have connected several of these stolen firearms to crimes committed in Arlington.
In April 2021, Arlington police said they made a traffic stop on a man named Jacob Yi. When officers pulled up his information, they learned Yi had an active felony warrant that had to do with an auto theft case out of another jurisdiction, so he was arrested.
When they searched Yi as they were taking him into custody, they found a gun tucked in his waistband. When they ran the gun through their system, they learned that it had been reported stolen out of a pickup truck in Arlington a few days earlier.
While that case was still pending, Yi got out of jail – and in February 2022, was arrested again, this time as the suspect in a deadly shooting that occurred in Arlington. The weapon police said they believe he used to commit the murder was reported stolen out of a vehicle in Irving.
"Lock your firearms up," White said. "Please do not leave them in your vehicles."
If you find yourself in a situation where you're carrying and a place has a sign saying no firearms, police said it's best to lock it in a box and make sure your gun isn't out in plain sight and lock your car.
"A lot the vehicle burglaries, they're occurring over night, so we encourage all citizens of Arlington to make sure you're taking your firearms from inside of your vehicle to inside of your home," White said.
Another problem detectives said they're seeing is a rise in children having access to firearms and repeat offenders linked to stolen firearms.
Just last month, in an interview with CBS 11, Arlington Police Chief Alexander Jones highlighted the same problem.
"We have to make sure the gun owners are being responsible. I'm not saying that they shouldn't have their guns," Jones said. "What I'm asking to do is is be responsible locking their guns up so people can't get to them. They're leaving their cars unlocked with the guns sitting right there. And unfortunately, these kids are going through the neighborhoods and looking in pull in door handles and where we're seeing those guns."
If your gun is stolen, it's best for you to report it because your name is still attached to the weapon and police will come knocking at your door.
