Teen charged in theft of 28 guns from Oak Forest gun range
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 15-year-old boy has been charged with stealing 28 guns from a far south suburban gun range.
Oak Forest Police said, around 3 a.m. on Monday, officers responded to a burglar alarm at the Eagle Gun Range at 5900 W. 159th St., and found a group of four people had crashed a vehicle into the building, and stolen 28 guns, along with ammunition.
The crime was caught on camera, and police released surveillance footage showing the four suspects wearing stocking caps and masks.
Working with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Oak Forest police identified a 15-year-old boy from Hazel Crest as one of the suspects.
Police said the boy was arrested and charged in connection with the burglary. No other arrests have been announced.
CBS 2's Marissa Perlman found out this wasn't the first time guns have been stolen from the shop.
Five years ago, a group of thieves stole about 40 guns from the same store and threw a cinder block through a window to get access inside.
In 2017, three thieves used a brick to smash a window, stole 40 guns and stuff them into backpacks before making a getaway.
A former New York police sergeant and City of New York University criminal justice professor as tracked the sale of illegal guns. He said the store being hit twice in a five-year period should put police on alert for copycat crimes.
"The most concerning part of this is that you've had a location now hit twice. So not only this location, but every gun store within 100 miles, they should be looking to harden these targets," said Joseph Giacalone. "Police should be going to these gun stores to identify weaknesses to try to make sure this doesn't happen again."
Giacalone added the weapons can be traced by their federal firearms serial number. He said the problem is the guns won't be found by police until they're already on the street and in the wrong hands.
"There's this thing called a 'community gun' where they use them. They keep on passing them along," he said. "And the guns go out even further from where they're actually stolen from."
Police said anyone with information on Monday's burglary should contact Detective Sergeant Ryan Burnett or Detective Adrian O'Donnell at 708-687-1376.