A man was arrested and a stolen firearm recovered by Seattle Police during an encampment clean-up in SODO Thursday morning.
Around 9:00 a.m., officers were present to support Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle Department of Transportation work crews as they performed a clean-up of an RV encampment in the 2200 block of 3rd Avenue South.
Officers were alerted by a Parks employee who saw what they thought was part of a firearm sticking out of a backpack worn by a man in the encampment. Officers could clearly see what appeared to be the butt of a firearm protruding from the man’s backpack and contacted him.
Once the firearm was removed from the backpack, it was discovered to be a modified rifle which had a cut barrel. A check of the serial number confirmed the gun had been stolen in Seattle in 2020, and the 34-year-old man was taken into custody.
He was transported to Harborview Medical Center for an unrelated medical issue, and officers will request charges for possession of a stolen firearm and unlawful firearm parts and contraband once he is released.
