Four arrested in Nevada after burglars steal 78 guns in smash-and-grab at Poway gun shop

POVOIE —

The armory robbery lasted four minutes.

Shortly after 3:15 a.m. Monday, someone crashed a stolen Hyundai sedan through the front entrance of Poway Weapons and Gear. Four people wearing masks and gloves stormed the store, smashing display cases and shelves, shattering glass and seizing dozens of firearms.

The police officers responding to the burglary arrived and found the Hyundai left there. The thieves had left, fleeing in another car.

They fled with 78 cannons.

Federal investigators and law enforcement from two states quickly tracked the fleeing car to a home in Las Vegas. Before the day’s end, they had recovered 35 firearms, officials with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Friday.

The rest – 43 weapons – remain unaccounted for, officials said.

ATF officials said they arrested four Nevada men, ages 18 to 21. One of them, an 18-year-old from Boron, was charged in Nevada federal court with transporting stolen weapons.

He and a 21-year-old man were charged with trafficking and possession of firearms. The other two, aged 18 and 19, were charged with firearms trafficking.

According to the federal complaint, the Boron man showed up at the 21-year-old’s home with two bags of firearms. Later, the other two men stopped by the house briefly.

After the two men left, police arrested them and recovered two of the stolen weapons. A search of the house uncovered 33 other weapons.

The investigation and search for the remaining weapons is ongoing, the ATF said.