$10K reward offered for tips in Armageddon Arms heist

MONROE — After burglars took 24 guns in a crash-and-grab heist this month at a Monroe firearms dealer, federal investigators are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for tips.

Around 4:50 a.m. Sept. 6, someone crashed into the front of Armageddon Arms at 121 S. Lewis St. in downtown Monroe.

A passerby called 911 because several vehicles were speeding away from the scene of the damaged store. The caller reported seeing the suspected thieves fleeing south on Lewis Street, then losing sight of them a few blocks away.

Officers searched the business but found no suspects.

Police recovered an abandoned white SUV with California license plates from the parking lot. It had “extensive front-end damage, consistent with being used to forcibly breach the store’s front entrance,” according to Monroe police. The vehicle had been reported stolen to Kent police later the same morning. Monroe police impounded the vehicle, pending a search warrant.

Two dozen guns were stolen, federal investigators reported Friday.

“Specific details regarding the quantity, models, and calibers are being withheld to protect the integrity of the ongoing criminal investigation,” city police wrote Sept. 6. “… The Monroe Police Department believes this to be an isolated incident involving individuals from outside the community.”

More than a week later, no arrests had been made public.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced a reward of $5,000 Friday, for a tip leading to the burglars or the guns, while the National Shooting Sports Foundation agreed to match that amount.

Tips can be directed to the Monroe Police Department at 360-863-4600 or police@monroewa.gov. Or call the ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS (888-283-8477) or ATFTips@atf.gov. Or dial 911.