Group of teenagers believed to be involved in multiple Pittsburgh-area gun store break-ins
WEST MIFFLIN (KDKA) - A group of teenagers were caught on camera attempting to steal guns but broke into a hobby shop in the same building as the gun store by mistake.
Authorities have told KDKA-TV that the attempted burglary is connected to the successful burglary at Allegheny Arms last month and a third gun store in Lima, Ohio - just south of Youngstown.
In speaking with federal, state, and local authorities, they are actively pursuing all of these cases with West Mifflin Police's chief saying the group of four juveniles who attempted to break into Legion Arms didn't get much, but they did go right over to another gun store in Bethel Park later that morning.
However, no arrests have been made.
Gun store owners are worried the kids won't get a punishment that fits the seriousness of the crimes.
On January 13, just before 4:30 in the morning, a stolen Kia circled the parking lot of the Legion Gun Store in West Mifflin, and then a hammer shattered the door and four people, believed to be four juveniles from the Pittsburgh area, entered with face masks, gloves, and duffle bags scrambled through the store looking for guns.
After the alarm went off, they realized they were in Iron City R.C. Hobbies on the wrong side of the building. Audio from the surveillance video could be heard with one suspect saying "Where are the guns?"
They were in and out within 60 seconds and nothing was taken from the store.
Legion Arms owner Jonathan Stark said this has never happened in the 10 years he's been open.
"We are fortunate they were in the wrong place," he said. "It's hard not to take it personally."
The West Mifflin police chief confirmed that the same group of juveniles then bolted to Bethel Park and shot their way into Allegheny Arms and Gun Works where they stole more than 50 guns in a matter of minutes.
"[Law enforcement] were able to get a lot of good information from the footage that we were able to provide and the evidence they left behind," Stark said.
Not long after when police and the ATF recovered several of the stolen guns in McKees Rocks, two juveniles were found on a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus with stolen guns.
Sources have also told KDKA-TV that one or two of the same people in the Bethel Park burglary are also tied to a break-in at Expert Outfitters near Youngstown, Ohio on January 23 when they shot their way in and stole 23 handguns.
Then, in the most recent case, on Super Bowl Sunday around 5 a.m., surveillance video showed the suspects trying to pry open the front door of Riffin Arms in Stoneboro, Mercer County.
An ATF spokesperson said no suspects are in custody at this time but they are looking into potential connections at other gun store burglaries.
Owners like Stark now are being more vigilant.
"There's no question they will end up on the streets and that is why it's important that they do be recovered, they will be used in crimes," he said. "These are adult crimes, plain and simple."
Shaler's police chief also confirmed that two vehicles were stolen on Sunday less than a mile apart from one another and one of the vehicles was recovered in Pittsburgh.
The other was stopped by Jackson Township police in Mahoning County, Ohio. Three 17-year-olds and a 13-year-old from the Pittsburgh area were arrested.
At last check, they are currently being held in a juvenile detention center.
However, at this time, no arrests have been made in any of the gun shop burglaries.
