Sheriff’s investigators are looking for a burglar who burrowed into a Northern California gun store and stole 50 handguns.
At about 1:20 a.m. July 22, the suspect made a hole in the wood-paneled exterior wall of the family-owned Foothill Firearms in the Placer County town of Newcastle. He then pushed through the drywall inside the store to enter, according to sheriff’s department spokeswoman Elise Soviar.
Once inside, the burglar filled duffel bags with the handguns and left in a car, according to authorities.
Store surveillance footage shows only one suspect, whose face was covered. Detectives gave no vehicle description and are continuing to investigate.
“It’s unclear if there was somebody [else] driving the vehicle,” Ms. Soviar told The Epoch Times.
The family-owned gun store in Newcastle, with a population of about 1,500, was specifically targeted, she added.
“It’s very unique for something like this to happen,” Ms. Soviar said. “Newcastle is a very small, tight-knit community.”
The store was closed this week as the owners dealt with paperwork following the thefts. The owner expects to reopen Thursday.
A day later, another firearms store was burglarized about 18 miles south of Newcastle in Orangevale, located in Sacramento County.
Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies responded at about 3:45 a.m. Tuesday to the store on Greenback Lane. The owner was at home watching a live video feed of the shop when he reported seeing someone inside.
The suspect broke through the front window and stole at least 25 firearms, according to a statement posted by the sheriff’s department on Facebook. The suspect fled and left a gray Kia sports utility vehicle in the parking lot, according to the sheriff’s department.
Investigators say the suspect appears to have used the Kia to back into the store’s window, shattering it to get inside the shop. The vehicle had been stolen earlier that night from Fair Oaks, about five miles south of Orangevale, the sheriff’s department said.
Investigators say they haven’t made a connection between the two firearm thefts.
“The investigators have been talking but at this point, we are not connecting them,” Ms. Soviar said.
