[kellyhound]

Police are looking for at least 5 suspects and a federal agency is investigating after dozens of guns were stolen from a New Whiteland, Indiana gun shop over the weekend.

The suspects will likely face federal charges.

New Whiteland police were dispatched to Element Armament, 400 Tracy Road, at 4:21 a.m. Saturday on a report of a burglary. Surveillance videos at the federally licensed gun, ammunition and accessories dealership show five men breaking into the gun shop by kicking in the door and stealing 33 guns in about 90 seconds.

A sixth person might be involved as the driver of the vehicle the men were in, but five were shown in the video, said David Hill, owner of Element Armament. Twenty of the stolen weapons were handguns and the other 13 were rifles, Hill said.

New Whiteland Police Chief Joe Rynerson did not respond to multiple calls for comment, and a report provided by the New Whiteland Police Department does not offer details into the agency’s investigation of the crime, including descriptions of the suspects. The report provided by the department said a more detailed report would be made available at a later time.

No arrests had been made Monday afternoon.

In the surveillance video, five men are seen storming into the gun shop after looking through the shop’s windows. All of the men are wearing black and white hooded sweatshirts, and jeans, cargo shorts or joggers. The men covered part of their faces and wore gloves during the burglary, the videos showed.

The men used the guns and their fists to break two display cases before pulling the guns from the cases and walls, videos showed.

Hill called the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives within 48 hours of the theft, which is a requirement of federally licensed gun dealers, he said. The bureau is a federal law enforcement agency in the U.S Department of Justice that works to stem illegal gun trafficking, among other objectives.

As a result of the burglary, the suspects could face federal charges, said Suzanne Dabkowski, a spokesperson with the agency.

“It is a federal crime to break in and steal something from a federally licensed dealer,” she said.

The bureau is working with New Whiteland police to investigate the burglary, and police are likely still reviewing video, photos and other evidence to compile suspect descriptions, Dabkowski said Monday afternoon.

The serial number of each stolen gun will be entered into a national database so the weapons can be found, she said.

Local police typically watch pawn shops and online websites used to sell firearms to try and locate the guns, Dabkowski said.

Once the bureau gets information about each gun, the nationwide database will allow police to run the serial numbers of guns through the system. If a gun is stolen and entered into the database, police will know immediately, Dabkowski said.

“If law enforcement runs across that firearm, they will be able to make that connection,” she said.

Hill is concerned that the guns will be sold on the street and will not be found until the person who bought the gun commits a crime and is arrested by police.

He also worries the stolen guns will be taken to nearby larger cities, such as Indianapolis, Chicago or Louisville where they will be used in more serious crimes, he said.

“I don’t want innocent people getting murdered,” he said.

The estimated monetary loss of the guns is about $30,000, but Hill is more concerned about the police finding the guns so they are no longer being trafficked by criminals, he said.

“I don’t care if I get them back, I just want the police to get them,” he said.

As a result of the burglary, Hill is planning to take extra precautions moving forward to protect the firearms in his shop.

From now on, firearms will be locked in a safe, so if someone enters the building again, the guns would not be easily accessible, Hill said.

“I am just going to take different steps,” he said.

[Oswald2001]

Any word on the ******* of the perps?

[RUTHIE7]

A gun shop... why didn't he have 'triggered booby traps' layed down when the store was shut...?

Fight fire with fire. Makes sense when you have that much fire power for sale... under 'glass!'

[Oswald2001]

Originally Posted by RUTHIE7 ↗

A gun shop... why didn't he have 'triggered booby traps' layed down when the store was shut...?

Fight fire with fire. Makes sense when you have that much fire power for sale... under 'glass!'

I have also seen similar situations happen in jewelry stores with insufficient security.