Boring burglar tunnels into California gun store, steals $40,000 in merchandise

You’ve heard of drilling for oil and gas. But guns?

More than 50 firearms were stolen from a Placer County gun store after a thief bored a hole into an outside wall while the business was closed, authorities said.

According to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, the thief began making a hole into the wall at Foothill Firearms in Newcastle at 1:20 a.m. on Monday. By 4 a.m. the thief had made their way inside the store, where they loaded a duffel bag with guns and then left in a car, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Police do not have a description of the thief or their vehicle, and the case is under investigation, according to authorities.

Store co-owner Jaimie Kuntz told the Sacramento Bee that the thief tried to cover their tracks by spray-painting a security camera inside the store, but the camera wasn’t working in the first place. There were other security cameras that captured the thief in action, she said.

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Kuntz said her alarm company called her around 4 a.m. about the break-in and a neighboring business saw the suspect flee the scene.

“This is really messed up for a small, family-owned business,” Kuntz told the newspaper.

There were about 50 guns stolen from the store, Kuntz said, and are estimated to be worth at least $40,000, costing between $900 and $1,800 apiece.