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Gun stolen from N.Y. police station nearly 50 years ago recovered during Mich. traffic stop

When arresting a suspect for a suspected DUI, Warren Police recovered a gun that was reported stolen from the Syracuse Police Department in 1979

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Lights on a parked police vehicle, Friday, April 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Matt Rourke/AP

By Mitch Hotts
The Macomb Daily, Mount Clemens, Mich.

WARREN, Mich. — A handgun reported stolen from a New York police station nearly 50 years ago was recovered from a motorist’s underwear during a routine traffic stop in Warren, according to Michigan State Police.

Troopers spotted a driver making an improper turn on to a residential street near Dequindre and Eight Mile roads just after midnight on Aug. 27. The driver accelerated to 45 mph in a 25-mph zone, police said.

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After stopping the driver, he displayed “numerous signs” of intoxication before admitting he had consumed alcohol, troopers said. He was given a field sobriety test which showed multiple clues of impairment.

“When taking the suspect into custody, during handcuffing, he resisted arrest and attempted to break free and run,” troopers said in a news release.

They tackled the fleeing motorist and briefly struggled with him on the ground police added.

During the fight, the suspect attempted to pull a handgun from his underwear. Troopers were able to wrestle the weapon away from the suspect without injury.

The gun turned out to have been stolen from the Syracuse Police Department in New York in 1979. The unnamed suspect was transported to the Macomb County Jail pending prosecutor’s office review.

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© 2025 The Macomb Daily, Mount Clemens, Mich.. Visit www.macombdaily.com.
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