US man arrested for allegedly stealing FBI police car equipment in exchange for drugs

To buy drugs, he stole equipment from an FBI police car.

The USA Today reported on August 20 that a US man, Gregory Acosta Alvarez, was arrested on suspicion of stealing a US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) official vehicle and police equipment inside.

On the morning of August 7, an FBI agent discovered that a government-issued Ford 150 pickup truck parked on the streets of San Francisco had been broken into. Surveillance video shows that around 0:30 in the morning of that day, Alvarez rode a bicycle past the vehicle and then committed theft. He then took the stolen goods to a hotel less than 400 meters away. On the afternoon of August 7, when police officers from the San Francisco Police Department were questioning the hotel manager, Alvarez walked into the hotel lobby and was arrested on the spot.

More than ten pieces of police equipment were missing from the vehicle, including various chainsaws and surveillance equipment, a gas gun, a box of flashbangs, a camouflage bulletproof vest, a bulletproof plate with an FBI mark, and a defibrillator for first aid. After searching the room rented by Alvarez, the police found the bicycle in the surveillance and some of the stolen items, such as 23 flashbangs and a defibrillator, but the gas gun and bulletproof vest worth about $1,500 were still not found. During the interrogation, Alvarez admitted trading these items with drug dealers in exchange for $20 worth of methamphetamine.

Currently, Alvarez is being held in a local prison in San Francisco. The judge ruled that he could not be released on bail. The prosecution charged him with charges of burglary, grand theft, possession of stolen property, and possession of drugs. This incident has raised concerns about public safety and the management of law enforcement equipment.