Rocket launcher recovered during investigation in Brooklyn

BUSHWICK -- Police say a rocket launcher was recovered in Brooklyn as part of an ongoing investigation Friday.

The weapon was seized by the NYPD from a home on Knickerbocker Avenue in the Bushwick section. Initially, authorities said the weapon was operational, but it is actually inert.

Investigators have charged 41-year-old Juan Garcia with criminal possession of a weapon, for possession of brass knuckles. But he will not face charges in connection with the launcher, because of the inert classification.

Authorities say an investigation that started in the Bronx led police to Garcia's address in Brooklyn.

Officials say the rocket is pre-packaged and built into the weapon, so once it is fired, it cannot be reloaded. The recovered weapon had already been fired.

The launcher is a M72-LAW, a once-revolutionary light anti-tank weapon used in the military starting in the 1960s.