DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — A smash-and-grab was attempted at a gun store in Dearborn Heights early this morning. Two thieves rammed a red Hyundai sedan straight into Esko Guns.
Police say no one was injured and no firearms were stolen, thanks to the owner's daily practice of locking his inventory every night.
The security camera footage, sourced exclusively by 7 Action News reporter Faraz Javed, shows the red Hyundai canvasing the area around 3:27 am. Three minutes later, they smash through the entrance.
Within 15 seconds, the two thieves bail on foot after they realize there are no guns to steal. The store owner and private investigator, Bob, was the first to arrive on the scene.
"Upon arrival, I observed the vehicle inside my store, and the front door and gate busted. By the time I realized the vehicle was empty and no one was there, Dearborn Heights Police Department arrived on the scene," said Bob.
Since all the guns were locked up, Bob knew the thieves would have made a run for it empty-handed.
"If they only took one minute of their time just to see through the glass before they broke in, this would have never happened," said Bob.
ATF Special Agent in Charge Paul Vanderplow says lately, more and more criminals have been targeting gun stores in metro Detroit, and they usually conduct a surveillance mission first.
"If you witness people coming in, and maybe looking around trying to take note of your security measures or your store layout, if you see something, say something," said Paul Vanderplow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF - Detroit.
Back in September, nearly 100 firearms were stolen from two gun stores, one in Westland and the other in Dearborn Heights.
"The ones during the summer, we made ten arrests, and we made arrests within the 1st two weeks," said Vanderplow.
Even though most of the stolen guns, in that case, have been recovered, Paul says they are actively searching for the remainder and urging the public to share any information for the community's safety.
"We are finding they are staying in this region, and they are being used to victimize people in this region," said Vanderplow.
In the meantime, in this case, multiple law enforcement agencies are involved in tracking down the suspects.
"We are going to find you. We are going to catch you. We have proven that," said Vanderplow.
Meanwhile, Faraz asked ATF Special Agent in Charge if he was concerned that thieves would look for other ways to steal guns if the current method continues to fail"
Vanderplow said, "Yeah, I'm positive they will look for other ways, and my goal is for them to keep looking for other ways till they run out of different ways.
Meanwhile, Bob says the city has given him the green light to install cement barriers at the entrance to prevent such incidents from happening again.
