BEECH GROVE, Ind. — Police say they've recovered a large number of guns stolen from Beech Grove Firearms early Sunday but have only made one arrest.
Store security video shows thieves broke in by ramming the building's front doors with a stolen Honda Ridgeline. That SUV was left at the scene as the suspects loaded up and left in a separate car.
In court records, a 16-year-old boy said he was waiting in the getaway car while three other males were stealing guns inside the store just after 3 a.m. Sunday. They busted in by repeatedly ramming a stolen Honda through the entryway.
The juvenile told police the burglary was planned for some time. He said they drove to the Silverstone Trailer Park on the east side of Indianapolis to "find some Mexicans." A man identified as "Mr. Garcia" reported to police that he was robbed at gunpoint by two men wearing masks just before 3 a.m. They demanded the keys to his Ridgeline and also stole his wallet and phone.
For now, the juvenile is charged with armed robbery in the carjacking of the Ridgeline, and he is the only suspect arrested.
Court records say the getaway car, a white Kia Forte, was parked on North Second Avenue, just a block west of Beech Grove Firearms. Security cameras from a business caught the suspects getting into the Forte and taking off just minutes after the break in.
Police tracked the Forte and found it registered to someone living at a house on the east side. Officers found the car behind the house and obtained a search warrant. Inside the house, they found a duffel bag filled with a large number of handguns with price tags still on them from Beech Grove Firearms.
"This ticks me off in every fabric of my DNA,” said store owner Greg Burge.
Burge said a third audit - and finding some guns in the debris of the damage done to the store - now indicates 41 handguns were stolen worth about $30,000. Not all of them have been recovered.
"That is the main concern, because these criminals are not collectors. They did not take these for any positive mean or outcome,” said Burge. "It weighs on me heavily, both professionally and personally, because we do everything as the rule states."
The store, which sustained about $60,000 in damage, is set to reopen Thursday.
"We are having a lot of contractors here today,” said Burge. “We're going to reevaluate some things and enhancements are going to be put in place."
Burge said this is the first successful break in at his store in his 12 years owning the business.