Four Charged With Plundering Hayward Gun Store During Night Of Civil Unrest
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Three Oakland men have been charged with stealing at least 27 weapons from a Hayward gun store that was looted in May during a night of civil unrest related to the death of George Floyd.
U.S. Attorney David Anderson revealed Monday that a federal grand jury has charged Dashawn Talifario Taylor, Anthony Lamar Craft, Jr., and Tyronza Hampton, Jr., with stealing firearms from Richardson Tactical on the night of May 31st.
According an affidavit by an ATF agent filed in connection with a criminal complaint, Taylor, 23, Craft, 26, and Hampton, 25, and several others congregated outside of Richardson Tactical after business hours when the store was closed.
The co-conspirators allegedly broke the store window and entered the store, where they smashed display cabinets and ripped firearms from the walls. In total, the defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly stole no fewer than 27 firearms from the store.
Surveillance footage and fingerprint evidence were used to identify the defendants, who were arrested between July 15 and July 31st.
Court documents also have revealed that Taylor attempted to flee by car with several other individuals from the scene of an Oakland shooting in June.
The car crashed, at which point Taylor was apprehended; one of the stolen firearms was allegedly recovered from the front passenger area of the car, where Taylor had been sitting.
In addition, according to court filings, on June 18th Craft posted a photo to Instagram, depicting him holding two of the stolen firearms.
"This burglary occurred on a night when Hayward and many other cities in the Bay Area and across the country were experiencing civil unrest and protests," Anderson said. "My office stands in support of all Americans exercising their First Amendment rights to peaceable assembly and speech. But we will also investigate and seek justice for those who use the cover of lawful protests to break the law."
Taylor and Hampton were previously arrested and have made their initial appearances before the magistrate court. Both were ordered released on bond, and are currently scheduled to appear in federal court on September 25th. Craft was arrested on July 31st and made his initial appearance before the magistrate court Monday.
One unnamed defendant charged in the indictment has not been arrested and remains a fugitive.
The defendants face a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and restitution if convicted of theft from a federal firearms licensee. If convicted of an addition conspiracy charge, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and restitution.