Weapons Stolen From Escambia Sheriff’s SWAT Vehicle

August 28, 2018

Three teens are accused of stealing weapons from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, and those weapons are still missing.

About 11 p.m. Saturday night, several items including a fully automatic .223 caliber M4 and several magazines of ammunition and a Taser were stolen from an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office SWAT sergeant’s vehicle. Three juveniles – Tahier Harper, 16, Torrance Sumler, 17, and Erick Smith, 17 – were charged in connection with the vehicle burglary.

A silver Ford Escape were seen fleeing the area following the burglary.

The ECSO High Intensity Patrol Unit located the vehicle, and after a brief pursuit Smith and Harper were apprehended. Several items belonging to the Sheriff’s Office were found in the vehicle, according to investigators.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is still looking for the weapons and other items.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 433-STOP or Crime Stoppers at (850) 436-9620.

The investigation is in connection with several other vehicle burglaries in the same area, the ECSO said.

Comments

26 Responses to “Weapons Stolen From Escambia Sheriff’s SWAT Vehicle”

  1. Stumpkocker on August 29th, 2018 3:49 pm

    @TCStone, I was referring to the marked units that the public sees everyday, not the unmarked or certain vehicles assigned for particular duties, which means that if there not equipped with locking devices to secure all weapons then the weapons should be secured somewhere else and not left in the vehicle period. It’s my understanding that even the units that do have locking devices the deputies are required by policy to remove all weapons at the end of shift. So what my point is do not leave weapons in your car which means law enforcement or civilian bad idea.

  2. TCStone on August 29th, 2018 7:18 am

    You are incorrect Stumpknocker. Everything you said is normally true but not in this particular case.

  3. Jim on August 28th, 2018 10:56 pm

    @Stumpknocker fully-automatic M4, not AR-15. Very similar, but AR-15s are semi-auto.

  4. Bill on August 28th, 2018 7:30 pm

    Unacceptable behaviour from a LEO and especially a Sergeant and a Swat Team member

  5. c on August 28th, 2018 5:59 pm

    What an appropriate getaway car Ford Escape lol

  6. Stumpknocker on August 28th, 2018 4:04 pm

    @TC Stone, you are completely wrong, the sheriffs vehicles are equipped with a rifle rack which locks and some have a shotgun racks as well, all the Tahoe’s have a metal box bolted to the floorboard in the back which locks as well. I asked some deputies about what the policy states, they said that no firearm is to be left in a vehicle and are to be secured in their residence. They also said it’s common for law enforcement vehicles to be broken into for firearms since it’s a tool of their trade and that’s why there is such a strict policy in place, so now we have a fully automatic ar-15 on the street in the hands of a criminal, I hope it’s found before it’s used.

  7. TCStone on August 28th, 2018 2:16 pm

    No Really, you are completely incorrect. Think the exact opposite of what you said as the facts. No safe, nothing bolted down and no doors locked.

  8. Really? on August 28th, 2018 1:30 pm

    You do realize that weapons like these are stored in a locked and secured steel cabinet that is bolted to the vehicle? They’re not just leaving a machine gun on the front seat with the windows down. Plus it takes a special kind of stupid to steal from a sheriff’s vehicle.

  9. in awe on August 28th, 2018 12:45 pm

    I cannot believe all the comments on here placing the blame on the officer.

  10. anne 1of2 on August 28th, 2018 12:08 pm

    I guess we are all humans in spite of our titles. Like the Federal agent leaving his handgun on the jet a few months back,this officer had his mind on other things I’d guess The Sheriff.is indeed on the radio and TV preaching to us about our guns. That looks like a very serious weapon. We need to think about where we are going until they find this weapon. I’m going to read about places to hide.

  11. Randy Lucas on August 28th, 2018 12:02 pm

    Hey,find the M4 they stole from my house and my Shotgun,while your at it.

  12. Cliff Van Alst on August 28th, 2018 11:13 am

    Very concerned that weapons were left in the Sargents car. I’m glad they arrested the people that stole them.Please be more careful with our tax dollars

  13. bewildered on August 28th, 2018 11:11 am

    Come on people, put the politically correct spin on this story! 3 fine young citizens burglarized police cruiser and stole all weapons to prevent that their brothers are getting shot by ruthless cops. (Now doesn’t this sound better?

  14. Bowhunter on August 28th, 2018 9:57 am

    Yeah And They Preach That Taken Vehicle Home Make’s The Community Safer ( Yeah Right )

  15. Charles Lyons on August 28th, 2018 9:49 am

    Seems like I’ve heard from radio and television ads about never leaving weapons in an unattended vehicle from someone before. Wonder who that could be?

  16. Nitty Gritty on August 28th, 2018 8:45 am

    Yeah, blame the cop who left a gun in his car and not the 3 punks who went in someone else’s property and stole from them……. It doesn’t matter if they were laying on top of the vehicle, you don’t touch stuff that don’t belong to you period!!!!!!

  17. paul on August 28th, 2018 8:29 am

    Never leave your weapons in your vehicle. You would think a cop would know better..

  18. Elmerpsuggins on August 28th, 2018 7:56 am

    Why was the vehicle left unattended ? where was the officer assigned to that vehicle that vehicle ?

  19. Robinhood on August 28th, 2018 7:39 am

    Question is, Why did the Law Enforcement Officer who knows better to leave weapons in his vehicle especially when HIS Boss David Morgan is always telling the citizens not to leave weapons in their vehicles and make sure they lock their doors ?????? The SGT needs to explain his actions as to what he was thinking when he left weapons in a vehicle. Why did he not lock them up in his trunk would be another question I would like for him to answer as well. DUMMY !!!!!!!!

  20. Tom on August 28th, 2018 7:00 am

    Yes Sir, pillars of our community. Bet all three are members of the church choir.

  21. Jan on August 28th, 2018 6:55 am

    this is terrible…I fear we will soon hear that someone has used these weapons

  22. Sam on August 28th, 2018 6:49 am

    Very dangerous weapon to be in the wrong hands. Serious consequences to be in possession of that one.

  23. Willis on August 28th, 2018 6:28 am

    What’s the Sheriff always saying…..
    Something about not leaving our guns in our cars because they wind up stolen and on the streets.
    Must be something to it.

    Lock the doors , keep it yours would be a great bill board

  24. Stumpknocker on August 28th, 2018 6:11 am

    Fully automatic 223, wonder why it was left in the vehicle and not put away securily in the residence, especially when we see and hear about locking your vehicle. Any firearm should never be left in a vehicle ever. And now there a fully automatic AR-15 on the street in the hands of the wrong person.

  25. M in Bratt on August 28th, 2018 6:00 am

    When a member of the public gets a firearm stolen, the cops are eager to declare it carelessness on the part of the owner. I would call it down right irresponsible for the Sheriff to allow his charges to leave unsecured weapons in their patrol cars. There are affordable lock boxes and safes available for vehicles so Sheriff Morgan, instead of buying time on TV, and billboards, buy some safes.

  26. Grand Locust on August 28th, 2018 3:48 am

    ooooopppppps.