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for the original article and a photo of the Colt, go here:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-bk-confiscated110107,0,5235070.story?track=rss
Rare handgun confiscated from teen suspected in holdups
Colt Woodsman Match Target Bullseye model confiscated by Orlando Police. (
Henry Pierson Curtis | Sentinel Staff Writer
2:23 PM EDT, November 1, 2007
A rare handgun used in more than a dozen holdups across Orange County turns out to be worth more than all the money the suspect wielding it took from his victims, according to Orlando police.
Confiscated late Wednesday, the 1940 Colt Woodsman pistol was recognized by Det. Matt Deem as the same weapon seen in a series of surveillance videos of convenience store robberies since August.
"In all the robberies this kid did, you'd probably have to multiply by three just to get to the value of the gun," Deem said, noting that the Colt Woodsman Match Target Bullseye model is worth about $1,800. "I'd love to have it and know where it's been since January 1940. Hell, it might have won Camp Perry
The suspect, Webster Cooper, didn't have a clue what he was carrying, according to police.
The 19-year-old Orlando resident told detectives he bought the gun on the street.
"It had a long barrel so it looked scary," said Deem. "The kid started crying and gave up everything."
Cooper is charged with robbing a Silver Star Road 7-Eleven store on Oct. 5, 25, and 28, arrest records show. He is the lone suspect in at least 15 more armed robberies since early August, police said.
Videos of the hold-ups show the same man dressed in black with his head wrapped in a blue t-shirt. In each case, the robber holds a long-barrel pistol that Deem first thought was a Ruger Mark II, a much more common .22-caliber target pistol.
After interviewing Cooper, Deem said he suspects the teen wrapped his head to try to disquise what were described as "big Dumbo ears."
A store clerk in one of the hold-ups gave police the first clue that the serial robber might be armed with an unusual weapon. The clerk described and drew a picture of what he remembered was a pistol with a flat-sided barrel.
Colt, Ruger, Browning and High Standard all made .22-caliber target pistols, but these are not as common in crimes as 9 mm. pistols and .38-caliber revolvers, police reports show.
Valuable guns turn up at crime scenes, but not often.
"I've recovered some Browning Sweet 16s with cut-off barrels and stocks and it made me want to cry," said Deem said about 16-gauge shotguns worth at least $2,000.
Police had not been able to determine by this afternoon if the Colt Woodsman had been stolen. Someone had removed the original pistol grips which reduced its value. Recovered stolen guns are destroyed if the legal owner cannot be located.
Anyone who recognizes the pistol is asked to call CrimeLine at 407-423-8477.
More than half of all guns stolen in Florida and across the U.S. are never reported as stolen because gun owners don't record the serial numbers, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tabacco, Firearms and Explosives and Orlando Sentinel research.
In 2001, Florida ranked fifth nationally with 7,434 stolen guns reported to the National Crime Information Center, which collects statistics on thefts of firearms with known serial numbers.
Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at 407-420-5257 or [email protected]
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-bk-confiscated110107,0,5235070.story?track=rss
Rare handgun confiscated from teen suspected in holdups
Colt Woodsman Match Target Bullseye model confiscated by Orlando Police. (
Henry Pierson Curtis | Sentinel Staff Writer
2:23 PM EDT, November 1, 2007
A rare handgun used in more than a dozen holdups across Orange County turns out to be worth more than all the money the suspect wielding it took from his victims, according to Orlando police.
Confiscated late Wednesday, the 1940 Colt Woodsman pistol was recognized by Det. Matt Deem as the same weapon seen in a series of surveillance videos of convenience store robberies since August.
"In all the robberies this kid did, you'd probably have to multiply by three just to get to the value of the gun," Deem said, noting that the Colt Woodsman Match Target Bullseye model is worth about $1,800. "I'd love to have it and know where it's been since January 1940. Hell, it might have won Camp Perry
The suspect, Webster Cooper, didn't have a clue what he was carrying, according to police.
The 19-year-old Orlando resident told detectives he bought the gun on the street.
"It had a long barrel so it looked scary," said Deem. "The kid started crying and gave up everything."
Cooper is charged with robbing a Silver Star Road 7-Eleven store on Oct. 5, 25, and 28, arrest records show. He is the lone suspect in at least 15 more armed robberies since early August, police said.
Videos of the hold-ups show the same man dressed in black with his head wrapped in a blue t-shirt. In each case, the robber holds a long-barrel pistol that Deem first thought was a Ruger Mark II, a much more common .22-caliber target pistol.
After interviewing Cooper, Deem said he suspects the teen wrapped his head to try to disquise what were described as "big Dumbo ears."
A store clerk in one of the hold-ups gave police the first clue that the serial robber might be armed with an unusual weapon. The clerk described and drew a picture of what he remembered was a pistol with a flat-sided barrel.
Colt, Ruger, Browning and High Standard all made .22-caliber target pistols, but these are not as common in crimes as 9 mm. pistols and .38-caliber revolvers, police reports show.
Valuable guns turn up at crime scenes, but not often.
"I've recovered some Browning Sweet 16s with cut-off barrels and stocks and it made me want to cry," said Deem said about 16-gauge shotguns worth at least $2,000.
Police had not been able to determine by this afternoon if the Colt Woodsman had been stolen. Someone had removed the original pistol grips which reduced its value. Recovered stolen guns are destroyed if the legal owner cannot be located.
Anyone who recognizes the pistol is asked to call CrimeLine at 407-423-8477.
More than half of all guns stolen in Florida and across the U.S. are never reported as stolen because gun owners don't record the serial numbers, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tabacco, Firearms and Explosives and Orlando Sentinel research.
In 2001, Florida ranked fifth nationally with 7,434 stolen guns reported to the National Crime Information Center, which collects statistics on thefts of firearms with known serial numbers.
Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at 407-420-5257 or [email protected]
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