FBI seeking submachine gun stolen from agent’s car in East Bay

The FBI is missing a submachine gun and a bulletproof vest and is seeking the public’s help to track down the tactical gear.

The items were stolen from a special agent’s vehicle on the evening of Jan. 8 or the morning of Jan. 9 in either Concord, Orinda or Lafayette, according to a brief statement released Friday by the FBI’s field office in San Francisco.

The submachine gun was a Heckler & Koch MP5 10mm. An ammunition magazine for the weapon was also taken. Officials did not say how the weapon was secured.

The FBI is being assisted by the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office to “locate and recover items in the interest of public safety,” according to the statement. Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI at (415) 553-7400 or online at http://tips.fbi.gov.

In September, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill requiring people who leave guns in unattended vehicles, including law enforcement officers, to lock them in a trunk or in a container that is not left in plain sight.

The law was a response to incidents in which firearms stolen from officers’ vehicles were used in killings, including that of Kathryn Steinle, who was shot in July 2015 on San Francisco’s Pier 14.

John King is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron