Monroe police seize rifles, discover caller tried to report crashed vehicle was stolen
MONROE — Police confiscated two AR-15-style rifles Thursday while investigating a situation that turned out to be a false report of a stolen vehicle.
Monroe police officers were dispatched just after 6 p.m. to a party store in the 900 block of East Front Street to investigate a report of a stolen vehicle, a Facebook post from the Monroe Public Safety Department said. When they arrived, officers received a call that the vehicle had been involved in a crash in the 700 block of Michigan Avenue. The dispatch center told the officers they were speaking with a man claiming to be the victim of the auto theft. An officer met with the alleged victim, and another went to the scene of the crash.
Through their investigation, the officers learned that the vehicle was never stolen and the report of it being stolen was false, the post said. The so-called victim in this case was identified as the driver of the vehicle that crashed on Michigan Avenue, but he tried to report the vehicle as stolen. Upon crashing the vehicle, the offender fled the scene on foot. Officers arrested the offender, who was identified as a 27-year-old man from the Monroe area.
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While the crash was being investigated, the vehicle was searched. Police found two AR-15-style rifles, which were both loaded, the post said.
Officers are seeking charges of false report of a felony, carrying a concealed weapon, felon in possession of a firearm and leaving the scene of a property damage accident in this case.
"The Monroe Police would like to thank the citizens who identified the offender and the hard work of our Officers who diligently investigated this incident, taking two guns off the streets!" the post said.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe police seize AR-15s, say crashed vehicle was not stolen
