Rifle, handgun stolen from officer’s vehicle

COLUMBUS — Authorities say an M16 rifle, a handgun and two ballistic vests were stolen from a plainclothes police officer’s unmarked vehicle outside a West Side restaurant.

Authorities say this vehicle was used in the theft of police weapons at a West Side restaurant. -Franklin Co. Sheriff's Office/Facebook
Authorities say this vehicle was used in the theft of police weapons at a West Side restaurant. -Franklin Co. Sheriff’s Office

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office says two men broke a window on the vehicle and took the items sometime between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. Wednesday while the Columbus officer was eating at the York Steak House at 4220 W. Broad Street.

Investigators are looking for the two suspects and a vehicle from surveillance photos that were released after the theft outside the York Steak House. Authorities say the suspects arrived in a gold Chevy S10 pickup truck (above and right) made in the early 2000s with a black bumper and damage on the front passenger-side panel.

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information about the case to call its investigators.