Man in the “other” Washington orders TV through Amazon, gets assault rifle instead

Published 11:47 am Thursday, August 9, 2012

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A Washington, D.C., musician who ordered a flat-screen TV through Amazon.com was shocked to receive a semiautomatic assault rifle instead.

Thirty-eight-year-old Seth Horvitz says he purchased the 39-inch television from a third-party seller. A box arrived from UPS on Tuesday evening, and it seemed too small to contain the TV. He says he initially thought it contained accessories.

But when he opened it, he found a Sig Sauer SIG716 military-style rifle. He says he had never held a gun before he felt the trigger of the rifle.

An invoice showed that the gun was intended for delivery to a firearms dealer in Duncansville, Penn. Horvitz called police, who took the gun and are investigating how the mistaken shipment occurred.

Amazon.com and United Parcel Service had no immediate comment.