A police-issued AR-15 semiautomatic rifle was left unsecured atop the trunk of a Seattle police car as it drove around the streets of downtown on the evening of June 27. “I flagged down bike officers who were shocked as hell,” says Nick Gonzales, who spotted the weapon as he was walking along Seventh Avenue near Pine Street. He sent this photo to The Stranger.
Contacted for an explanation, Sergeant Sean Whitcomb of the Seattle Police Department said: “The department is very embarrassed that this happened. We’re incredibly grateful to the person that flagged down the bike officers and to the woman who followed the patrol car driver around to let them know there was a rifle on the back of the car.”
When pressed for details on how a semiautomatic rifle was left where it could fly off the car and into the hands of anybody downtown, Whitcomb stated, “I’m not going to comment.” He added that the West Precinct has launched “an investigation into the circumstances that allowed this to happen.”
SPD isn’t releasing the names of the patrol officers; Whitcomb says they didn’t break any laws. SPD also won’t confirm whether the semiautomatic was loaded during its unsecured joyride through our fair city. “It was an opportunity for someone to take something that doesn’t belong to them, yes,” Whitcomb says. “It most certainly shouldn’t happen at a police department level. People should expect more.”
Since first posting the photo on our blog, Slog, The Stranger has been contacted by more than a dozen news outlets—including the Associated Press, NBC, and local television news stations—asking for permission to run the photo. It looks like the SPD is in for another national shitstorm. 
They are so lucky it didn’t fall off and get snagged by an evil person. KOMO radio said it was indeed loaded. Imagine how bad this could have turned out if the right set of chances occurred.
given that the Seattlel PD is known to be one of the most corrupt in the nation with a long history of letting officers “cop a walk” on any/all charges brought against them, does anyone really expect that the officers responsible for this little “oopsy” will be held accountable??? I mean REALLY….I think not…
Just more proof that only trained professionals should be allowed to have firearms!
Classic shenanigans Keystone Kops-style! In Albany, OR, where I now reside, local cops left their patrol car unsecured while they were harassing residents of the local homeless shelter, and what do you know? They returned to the vehicle to find the police-issue shotgun usually located above the dash was missing! Of course they blamed the homeless folks instead of the local crystal meth addicts who were actually responsible for the theft. Some attitudes know no geographical limitations!
Yeeeea? Like Barny Fife they carry one bullet in the shirt pocket?
the good news is no Innocent people were shot or stomped so indeed the sweet sound of progress resonates in the cord of E.
or maybe its was used to shoot a native American and but stroke a few Mexicans when the cop was startled by another web camera?