Theft arrest by Northgate Mall leads to confiscation of sawed-off rifle

Seattle police working retail theft emphasis arrested a man with a sawed-off rifle in his backpack Friday afternoon, according to the Seattle Police Department.

Just after 3:45 p.m. Friday, officers were alerted to a man who left a store with an unpaid bottle of alcohol in his pants in the 300 block of Northeast Northgate Way.

While officers arrested the man and recovered the alcohol, the man told police he had a gun in his backpack.

After a search, officers found a brown poster tube in his backpack with a .22 caliber rifle with the stock and barrel sawed off.

There were also other firearm parts and burglary tools in the backpack.

Once officers confirmed the man had outstanding warrants, the 44-year-old was booked into the King County Jail on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, shoplifting and possession of burglary tools.