CINCINNATI (WKRC) – Local police are on high alert after a series of brazen gun shoplifting incidents.
Four teenagers are currently accused in Clermont County of driving a stolen car into a store and stealing weapons.
“I think everyone is convinced that this is the same group that was involved in the three incidents on Sunday,” said Newtown Police Chief Tom Synan.
Within a few hours, Synan said, a group of youths attempted to rob three different gun stores.
“Miami Township was the first. When they tried it, all they had was guns and ammunition. Then they stole a car in Kentucky, came to Newtown and had two stolen cars,” Synan said.
The group then targeted Range USA, where Synan said events were similar to those in Florence.
“It’s about stolen cars, about young people and about using these stolen cars to get into these gun stores,” Synan said.
Synan said after the incidents in Florence, Newtown police met with the folks at Range USA, who eventually placed giant boulders to protect the front of their store just hours before thieves tried to break in.
“It was literally the boulders they put up on Friday that prevented them from getting into Range USA,” Synan said.
The crew did their best, but the rocks did not move.
“Then they decided to ram the car between the boulder and the wall, but luckily that didn’t work and they didn’t get in,” Synan said.
He said the gang eventually took off and was later found in Union Township, where they were eventually caught by police. They rammed another stolen car into the Sportsman’s Warehouse just off Eastgate Boulevard. Police then arrested the four teens.
“It’s extremely dangerous. They’re not just stealing clothes off the rack, they’re stealing guns. Those guns end up on the street, which means officers are in danger, the public is in danger, and that’s our highest priority,” Synan said.
Synan hopes the arrests and the companies’ proactive actions will send a clear message to thieves.
“We’re not just going to do patrols and shift changes on the site, we’re going to go to the companies and say, ‘This may have nothing to do with it, but what if we both stop it? Then we all win,'” Synan said.
The ATF is investigating the Florence burglaries and is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the six suspects.
