Two teenage boys have been detained in an ongoing investigation following an audacious burglary at Allegheny Arms and Gun Works in Bethel Park. Audacy reported that yesterday, a quartet dressed in black and traveling in a stolen vehicle shot their way into the gun store. Using hatchets, they managed to break into display cases and abscond with over 40 firearms, a crime swift and alarming in its execution and implications.
In response, police and ATF agents quickly launched an investigation, including the examination of two homes believed to be linked to the crime. According to details provided by CBS News Pittsburgh, the locations on Gray Street in McKees Rocks and Hammond Street in Sheraden became focal points of the operation. A Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus driver's report of sighting teenagers with guns added to the urgency and aided the direction of the probe.
The suspects were in and out of the gun store in a matter of four minutes. "They were probably in the store for under four minutes," ATF Assistant Special Agent Joseph Price revealed in a statement, as reported by CBS News Pittsburgh. At this juncture, efforts to recover the stolen weapons have yielded 14 firearms, leaving 43 still unaccounted for. Tracking down and ensuring the safe retrieval of these weapons remain a priority.
The involvement of juveniles in such a serious crime presents a legal crossroads, "While I cannot confirm details, we have been actively pursuing leads regarding the Allegheny Arms burglary in the area," an ATF spokesperson conveyed. Meanwhile, CBS News Baltimore has been informed that, as of now, the ATF would not charge juveniles, with that responsibility possibly falling to local law enforcement agencies to pursue.
