St. Pete PD: 12 guns reported stolen in last 2 weeks, all from unlocked vehicles

ST. PETERSUBRG, Fla. - Hundreds of guns are stolen every year in St. Petersburg but law enforcement officers say there’s been an alarming uptick in firearms swiped from unlocked cars over the last two weeks. 

Officials say it's crime that could have been prevented.

St. Petersburg police say crooks are checking vehicles across the city, at all hours of the day.

“There’s no pattern, there doesn’t seem to be a trend, they’re targeting unlocked cars anywhere,” said Yolanda Fernandez with St. Pete Police.

According to police, 113 guns were stolen from cars in 2018. In 2019, 137 were taken; about 10 guns a month.

But in just the last two weeks, a dozen were reported stolen, each one from a vehicle left unlocked.

“It’s a crime of opportunity,” Fernandez said. “They’re going inside an unlocked car to see what they can take and they’re finding the gun under the seat, in the console, in the glove compartment.”

In 2019, the department only recovered about 20% of the guns stolen across the city.

Officials want gun owners to take responsibility -- and keep their cars and their weapons locked up.

“If you’re a registered gun owner and you own that gun legally, take it with you and secure it, and don’t leave it in an unlocked car, because now that legal gun has become a street gun and it could be used to create other crimes and other problems,” said Fernandez.