Written by Tanya Terry
On Nov. 10, 2024 and then again on Dec. 3, 2024, two Flint-area pawn shops were broken into. Now, the suspects are facing federal charges.
At around 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 10 of this year, the first of the two pawn shops, which was located in Flint Township, was burglarized.
Three unidentified suspects wearing dark coats with hoods pulled up approached the store. One suspect began striking the front glass door with a sledgehammer and entered the store through the broken glass door. That suspect began hitting the metal security gate. Then the other two suspects entered the store.
Two of the suspects went behind the counter and four guns off the display wall while another suspect stood outside as a lookout.
The suspects threw the guns over the security gate and climbed out. A third suspect picked up two of the guns and ran away from the store. The first and second suspects then ran away, taking the other stolen guns with them.
Then, at around 3 a.m., on Dec. 3, 2024, a burglary took place at a Flint pawn shop.
Security footage showed two suspects striking the front glass, and at least one of them had a rock. During this burglary, two suspects entered the pawn shop and stole what the owner of the pawn shop said was six guns.
An area resident’s security camera had captured a small white SUV parked near pawn shop during the second of the two burglaries. On the footage, the three suspects exited the car, while the driver remained inside. The three suspects walked toward the pawn shop and came back to the SUV carrying guns.
Police identified the driver of the vehicle and interviewed her. The driver stated that her friend had asked her to give three people a ride from a townhome in Flint, and said she did not know the three individuals’ names. She also said she heard them express disappointment that some of the guns they stole were hunting guns – though they said they would still try to sell them.
A federal search warrant was also obtained and conducted just before 3 p.m. on Dec. 3, 2024 to where the three suspects were located.
The driver stated to police the three suspects were the ones she drove to the pawn shop when shown photos.
Additionally, two juvenile suspects admitted that a woman drove them and one adult suspect to the pawn shop on Dec. 3, where they stole several firearms.
The adult suspect told police the trio were responsible for breaking into both pawn shops on both dates during the investigative interview.
The charges the suspects face include of theft from a federally licensed firearm dealer and multiple charges of possession of stolen firearms
