Exclusive video: Crews search Allegheny River for firearms stolen in gun store burglary
Crews from multiple agencies across Westmoreland County, State Police, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were along the banks of the Allegheny River in New Kensington looking for some of the stolen guns taken from RC Firearms on January 22.
>> Police searching for people who crashed vehicle into New Kensington gun shop, stole weapons
“The conditions of the river, the current’s still a little fast,” said Darrick Gerano, Administrative Director of Murrysville Medic One. [It’s] a little high. So, having divers in the water actually performing search patterns is off limits today.”
Gerano said Murrysville Medic One teamed up with the Greensburg Fire Department’s dive team, New Kensington Police, State Police, and the ATF for the search.
They used a big metal detector in waist-deep water, and a remotely operated underwater vehicle, or ROV.
ONLY ON 11: The ATF, State Police, and multiple local agencies spent the morning searching the Allegheny River in New Kensington for some of the guns stolen from RC Firearms last week.
I’ll have more on their efforts tonight on @WPXI pic.twitter.com/d4V7m9hz07— Andrew Havranek 📺 (@Andrew_Havranek) February 2, 2024
“It’s equipped with a camera and a sonar device that allows us to see through some of the stuff we can’t see with the naked eye,” Gerano said.
The ATF said 22 guns were stolen during the burglary on January 22 when two men rammed a truck into the front door like a battering ram. Investigators say they were seen on surveillance video smashing display cases. Police have found three guns so far.
“The actual search process, like I said, is very slow because you want to make sure you leave the area completely searched, but once something’s identified, everyone kicks into high gear and things happen really quickly,” Gerano said of the search in the river.
>> 4 people charged after New Kensington gun shop burglarized
Agents wouldn’t speak on the investigation Friday, or explain what lead them to search in the Allegheny River, but they told Channel 11 that searching the river is part of their effort to recover more guns.
On Sunday, dive teams will be back at the river searching, and the conditions are expected to be okay for divers to get in the water.
“There are various search patterns that we’ll use so we can clear a whole area, but divers will also be equipped with metal detectors that will help in the search,” Gerano explained.
Steyn Sarduy and Michael Guin are charged in the burglary. Four others are also charged in connection to the investigation.
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