Police find unusual gun during arrest

Tuesday’s early morning arrest of a bicyclist suspected of breaking into cars and possessing drugs was rather ordinary – until police found the gun in his backpack.

The high-powered handgun, valued at $1,200, could shoot through bulletproof vests, police said at press conference Tuesday afternoon.

“It is one more indication of the scourges of methamphetamine and the effect it has on this community,” said Spokane Police Deputy Chief Al Odenthal.

Brian L. Olsen, 27, was arrested about 2 a.m. after Officer Kurt Vigesaa saw him riding a bike near Indiana Avenue and Atlantic Street without a headlight.

Olsen wouldn’t stop and eventually hopped off his bike and fled on foot, police spokesman Dick Cottam said. He was caught when Officer Dan Lesser released a police dog, Cottam said.

In Olsen’s backpack, police found methamphetamine, knives, an FN Herstal 5.7 X 28 mm handgun and 13 rounds of ammunition that police described as armor-piercing bullets.

Odenthal said it is not uncommon for people busted for meth crimes to have stolen guns that they were planning to trade or sell for drugs. However, it is unusual for them to carry a gun like the one officers found Tuesday, Odenthal said.

Olsen told police that he bought the gun for $60 from a man named Charlie, according to court records.

It is legal to buy the FN Herstal, but there have been some efforts to change that. In January, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence labeled it a “cop killer gun” and called for a ban.

The National Rifle Association responded that the gun “is a semiautomatic pistol, just like millions of other semiautomatic pistols.”Olsen was booked into the Spokane County Jail on charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of a stolen firearm. He also faces a second-degree vehicle prowling charge from an earlier incident.

Police believe Olsen was scoping places to burglarize, Odenthal said. Police found a notebook with at least a dozen addresses, some marked as “prized” locations, he said.

The find is a reminder to Spokane residents that it is dangerous to confront a burglar or car prowler, Odenthal said. Residents who see a crime in progress should call 911 and stress to the operator that the culprit remains on scene, he said.

Police are dispatched to car break-ins when in progress, but often aren’t sent after the fact.

“Our officers would like nothing more than to catch them in the act,” Odenthal said.