Rifle stolen from marked Oregon State Police car

LA GRANDE, Ore. (AP) — Authorities are investigating the theft of a semi-automatic rifle from a marked Oregon State Police car.

The Observer newspaper reports the theft occurred last week in the Eastern Oregon city of La Grande. The car was parked at the home of a trooper when someone smashed a window and took the firearm that had been in a mounted locked bracket.

State and La Grande police investigated the theft, and a team from the OSP Crime Lab in Pendleton assisted.

La Grande police Sgt. Gary Bell says it's extremely rare for a marked police vehicle to be the target of a break-in.