Guns stolen from car in Oakland as officers eat after UC...

Oakland police are seeking a thief who broke into a car Monday and stole a pair of handguns belonging to a police officer who had driven 300 miles from Kern County to help UC Berkeley handle protests this weekend.

“The Oakland Police Department understands the seriousness of the items that were taken in this auto burglary,” Officer Johnna Watson said in a statement.

The officer whose guns were stolen was one of five who drove up from the tiny city of Taft to join hundreds of officers from 10 jurisdictions to help prevent violence Sunday when ultraconservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos visited the left-leaning campus. He stayed for about 15 minutes, costing the university and the city of Berkeley about $800,000 in security costs, UC Berkeley officials said.

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The officers from Taft were driving home on Monday when they stopped for a bite to eat at a diner in the 400 block of Hegenberger Road in Oakland, Sgt. Robert Gomes of the Taft Police Department told The Chronicle.

“After the meal they discovered a window broken out” of their unmarked police vehicle, Gomes said.

Two handguns and a backpack belonging to one of the officers were gone.

Gomes said none of the other officers’ guns were taken, but he said he did not know whether they had been left in the car.

He said the Taft Police Department’s policy on gun storage in vehicles covers only rifles and shotguns, which must be contained in a locking device.

“It sounds like the Oakland Police Department is working diligently to resolve this as soon as possible,” Gomes said.

Oakland Police are asking anyone with information on the theft to call their burglary unit at (510) 238-3951.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov