Truck full of weapons stolen from driveway while warming up

Sandra Yi reportingA man's truck was stolen when he left it warming-up in his driveway, that's not an unusual crime. But what makes this case different is what the man had inside his vehicle, and police are concerned.

The owner had five firearms in his truck, and police fear they could end up in the wrong hands and put an officer at risk. "Our concern is always, is there going to be a law enforcement officer who stops this stolen car? Eventually, if we see it driving down the road, we're going to stop it, make a traffic stop. If that person has armed himself with the firearms, we have a dangerous situation there," said Lt. Paul Jaroscak, with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office.

A man left his truck warming-up in the driveway of his Sandy home near 900 East and 10000 South yesterday around 6 a.m.

While he was inside getting his lunch, his truck was stolen.

Investigators say the owner went shooting on New Year's Day and left his guns in his vehicle. There were five of them: a Russian-made assault rifle, a shotgun and 3 handguns.

Investigators say these so-called "warm-up drive-offs" are common. And this is another reminder for people to never start their cars and leave them unattended.

They say it happens often because people don't think they'll be a victim. Jaroscak said, "But it just takes that one opportunist. And we have in the past had people who actually drive around looking for those cars that are warming-up to drive off."

Investigators are still looking for the stolen truck and the firearms. They think it was a random theft and that the thieves didn't know the guns were inside.

Related topics