'Black object' strikes car, 18 miles later driver finds handgun sticking out of bumper



LAKEWOOD, Wash. -- "Well ... this is a first."

That's how Washington State Patrol Trooper Guy Gill tries to explain the bizarre scene that unfolded Thursday morning in Pierce County.

Gill said a driver saw a small "black object" in the air while driving on Interstate 5. That object struck his car.

There didn't seem to be anything terribly wrong with the car, so the driver kept going.

About 18 miles later, he told the trooper that he stopped for gas and found a black handgun sticking out of the Honda's front bumper.

WSP photo



Gill said authorities recovered the gun and turned it over to Lakewood police for further investigation.

But for now, the mystery remains: where did the gun come from and how did it get stuck in the bumper?