Hundreds of stolen guns on the streets of South Bend

ABC57 news is uncovering a troubling trend; hundreds of stolen guns. According to South Bend Police, many of those guns are taken from unlocked cars.

“I would definitely say some stolen guns are being used to commit crimes here, in the city of south bend.” Officer Keenan Lane said.

According to numbers obtained by ABC57 News, 326 guns were reported stolen in the city of South Bend between January, 2017, and June, 2018. The city could not break down the numbers of stolen guns from vehicles, but police say there have been approximately 30 since the beginning of 2018.

“We do have a lot of people struggling with drug addiction in the city. And they’re looking for an easy way to make some money. If they see something valuable in your car and it’s an easy way to get into that car, they’re going to take it and they’re going to sell it.” Officer Lane said.

In fact, a pistol was reported stolen from an SUV on North Summit Drive just this weekend. The owner of the gun tells ABC57 that she thought she locked her car and believes someone may have cloned her vehicles key fob.

“When you’re done driving for the day, don’t leave that gun in there. Take it with you inside your house where it’s safe and secure with you. That’s the gist of it.” Officer Lane said.