SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle police spokesman says the department is “embarrassed” after officers left a police rifle unattended on top of a patrol car outside a busy downtown area.
Spokesman Sgt. Sean Whitcomb says the department has launched an investigation.
Whitcomb says that two good Samaritans spotted the rifle on the parked car. One flagged down bicycle officers to alert them. The other followed the cruiser and tracked down the driver.
The alternative weekly The Stranger first reported the incident, posting a picture that shows the rifle sitting on top of the trunk.
Whitcomb says such rifles are assigned only to officers who have additional training. They’re usually kept in the trunk or between the driver and passenger seats.
He says people should expect more from the Seattle police department.
