A State Center Community College District police officer’s handgun lost during a foot chase Aug. 16 on the Fresno City College campus has been recovered, bullets and all, the district reported Tuesday evening.
The gun was stolen after it fell off the belt of a police sergeant who took a hard fall while chasing a stolen vehicle suspect near the college’s parking structure. After apprehending the juvenile suspect, the sergeant discovered his weapon was missing.
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Video evidence and witness statements helped identify two suspects who had been seen acting suspiciously near the location where the sergeant had fallen, the district said in a news release.
Information from informants and an investigation by a Fresno County Sheriff’s detective assigned to the Fresno Help Eliminate Auto Theft (HEAT) Task Force led the detective to the gun’s buyer, who surrendered it after learning of his potential criminal liability.
The gun was returned to the State Center police station and appeared to be intact, with no missing parts or ammunition, the district said.
