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.
Six men have been charged with using stolen vehicles to ram into storefronts of firearms dealers, smashing display cases and taking guns that were later sold on the black market.
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.
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