LYNNWOOD — The reward for information about the March break-in at a Lynnwood gun shop was increased to $11,000 Tuesday and officials urged the public to come forward with tips.
“There’s no lead that’s too small,” ATF Special Agent in Charge Kelvin Crenshaw said.
Police said about 96 handguns, many semiautomatic, were missing after the burglary at Lynnwood Gun &Ammunition, a federally-licensed gun store.
The break-in is being investigated by the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Lynnwood police.
Crenshaw, who runs ATF’s Seattle office, said the Lynnwood break-in was a “significant” theft and called whomever was responsible “cowards and hoodlums.”
Nationally, there have been thefts where more weapons were taken, but the amount taken from the Lynnwood store was big enough to make federal officials take notice, Crenshaw said.
“At some point, if we’re not vigilant about this, somebody is going to get hurt,” he said.
No arrests have been made and police have not recovered any of the stolen weapons, Lynnwood police Cmdr. Jim Nelson said at a press conference Tuesday at Lynnwood City Hall.
The owner of the gun shop is not considered a suspect, Crenshaw said.
“There is nothing good that can come from 96 stolen firearms,” he said. “The only positive thing that can come from this is the recovery of the weapons.”
The burglary occurred sometime between when the shop closed on March 25 and opened the next morning. No alarms were triggered and the store did not have surveillance cameras.
Television reports at the time suggested the store was entered by opening up floorboards in crawlspace below the strip-mall building.
Crimestoppers of Puget Sound joined the effort to generate information about the burglary by offering a $1,000 reward for information. That reward was added to a previously announced $10,000 reward fund being offered by ATF and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for the gun industry.
The reward amount underlies the serious nature of the crime, Nelson said.
“Were doing everything we can, using every resource we have to recover those weapons,” he said.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437; jholtz@heraldnet.com.
Call Crime Stoppers
Anyone with information about the Lynnwood Gun &Ammunition burglary is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). People also can call ATF’s toll-free tip line at 800-ATF-GUNS (800-283-4867), the ATF Seattle Field Division Office at 206-389-5800 or Lynnwood police detective Anne Miles at 425-670-5669 or Sgt. Jeff Mason at 425-670-5661. Callers may remain anonymous.
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