WESTLAKE, Ohio — A 16-year-old and a 20-year-old were both arrested in connection with a break-in at an Ohio gun store earlier this year.
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Shortly after midnight on Sept. 13, a suspect used a hammer to break a glass window of a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) in Westlake, Ohio, according to a social media post from the Westlake Police Department.
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The suspect forced entry into Westlake Classic Firearms and stole several firearms from display cases before leaving the scene.
Westlake PD was notified of the break-in the next day when a local business owner noticed a ladder leaning up against the building with broken glass strewn underneath.
During the investigation, officers found a hammer that had been left behind by the suspect.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) was notified due to the business being an FFL.
Surveillance video showed the suspect in the business for a little over one minute, but he was able to make off with 10 handguns and two rifles.
Over the course of two weeks, detectives learned that DNA obtained from he hammer contained the profile of a 16-year-old male from Cleveland who had prior convictions for fleeing from police, receiving stolen property, breaking and entering, and attempted grand theft.
On Sept. 30, Westlake PD, ATF, and Westshore Enforcement Bureau SWAT executed a search warrant on the teen’s home, where he lived with his mother.
The 16-year-old was taken into custody, and six firearms were recovered from inside the residence, including five of the guns taken from the Westlake gun business.
The teen was booked into the Cuyahoga County Juvenile lockup.
Based on the teen’s statements to police and searches of his electronics, Westlake PD identified a 20-year-old man from Cleveland who acted as the getaway driver for the teen.
The 20-year-old was tracked to Lorain after warrants were obtained for his arrest. Officers with the Lorain Police Department stopped the 20-year-old in a vehicle on Nov. 8.
He was indicted by the Cuyahoga County Grand Jury on 14 felony charges, including Grand Theft, Breaking and Entering, and Theft of Firearms.
The investigation is still ongoing, but it is not believed that any other people were involved with the gun store robbery. The remaining missing firearms are entered in police databases as being stolen.
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