Unlocked Police Car Stolen, Recovered

An unmarked police car that was left unlocked while officers chased a gun-wielding man was stolen and recovered a mile away a few hours later, police said Saturday.

The officers, who were not identified, left the brown, four-door sedan unlocked Friday evening when they spotted a man with a gun talking to a group of people near Barbara Ann Street and Bellaire Avenue in North Hollywood, said Sgt. Ray Davies of the Los Angeles Police Department’s North Hollywood Division.

The officers pursued the man on foot, leaving the car doors unlocked, which is not a violation of department policy, Davies said.

“Logic would dictate that if somebody pulls a gun, you don’t stop to lock the car,” Davies said.

The car was missing when the officers returned from the chase empty-handed, he said.

The missing car was discovered three hours later a mile away near Victory Boulevard, Davies said. Two walkie-talkies were missing, he said.