Rifle stolen from state police cruiser

A department-issued rifle was stolen from a marked Massachusetts State Police cruiser overnight, an agency spokesperson said Thursday.

It appears someone forced their way into the vehicle, which was locked and parked in the garage of a residential complex in Malden, just north of Boston, and took the patrol rifle from its secured mount, spokesperson David Procopio said.

“At this time we have no indication of the rifle being used subsequent to its theft," he said in an emailed statement.

It is standard department procedure for troopers who are assigned rifles to secure them in their cruisers while off duty. No other information was disclosed.

Broadcast video from the scene showed the cruiser, a Ford SUV which appeared to have a broken door lock, being towed away.