Details emerge in Camarillo gun store burglary and attempt in Simi Valley

Staff reports
·4 min read
Federal authorities have charged six men in connection with a string of burglaries at firearms stores around Southern California, including at the Camarillo Gun Shop on July 1, when 63 firearms were stolen after a crew rammed the entry with a stolen vehicle.
Federal authorities have charged six men in connection with a string of burglaries at firearms stores around Southern California, including at the Camarillo Gun Shop on July 1, when 63 firearms were stolen after a crew rammed the entry with a stolen vehicle.

At around 2:40 a.m. on July 1, a stolen vehicle pulled up outside the Camarillo Gun Store.

Another rolled up less than 90 minutes later, around 4:05 a.m.

Soon, the first stolen car rammed the glass front doors four times, allowing access for a crew of burglars. Three people got out of the vehicles wearing hooded sweatshirts, masks and gloves. They carried bags into the store on Ventura Boulevard.

Once inside the shop, they smashed glass display cases, taking 63 firearms in all. About 90 seconds later, they left in the second stolen car, which was later abandoned.

It's a scenario federal investigators say has played out nine times across Southern California since October. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles announced Tuesday the arrest of six men accused of carrying out the nine-month burglary spree at firearms stores.

Details about the Camarillo Gun Store theft and an attempted burglary at a Simi Valley gun shop on July 9 were laid out in an affidavit filed Monday with the federal criminal complaint.

The six defendants completed or attempted burglaries at nine gun shops using a similar method, prosecutors allege. They used stolen vehicles to ram storefronts, smashed display cases and fled in a second stolen vehicle.

The suspects' ages range from 18 to 23. Five are from Riverside County and one is from Las Vegas.

Workers repair the side entrance to Smokin Barrel, a Simi Valley gun shop, on July 11, two days after burglars tried unsuccessfully to ram a Kia sedan into the entrance.
Workers repair the side entrance to Smokin Barrel, a Simi Valley gun shop, on July 11, two days after burglars tried unsuccessfully to ram a Kia sedan into the entrance.

The affidavit, written by a special agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, lays out evidence collected from video surveillance footage, cell phone data, witness statements and other sources as authorities readied the criminal complaint and sought arrest warrants.

Unusual pants provide clue

The document also sheds light on the attempted burglary at the Smokin Barrel in Simi Valley.

Shortly after 4:30 a.m. on July 9, about nine burglars tried to break into the shop on Surveyor Avenue, where more than 700 firearms were inside.

Three vehicles had pulled into the parking lot. Eight people got out of the cars in the same garb as at the Camarillo incident: long pants, masks, hooded sweatshirts or jackets and carrying bags.

The remaining suspect rammed a car into the front entrance but was unsuccessful. The group left and the damaged car was found crashed in bushes, the affidavit said.

Local authorities have said stolen Kia sedans were used at both the Simi Valley and Camarillo sites to try to break through doors. At the Camarillo store, the car repeatedly rear-ended the entrance, Ventura County Sheriff's officials said.

The Simi store owner said security reinforcements prevented the car from smashing through the doors.

A black-and-white surveillance image in the affidavit shows three cars in the Simi Valley parking lot with eight of the suspects out of the vehicles. Cell phone location information for two of the suspects showed them leaving the Lake Elsinore and Murrieta areas in Riverside County around 10:30 p.m. on July 8.

At the Camarillo location, surveillance video captured "uniquely colored" pants worn by a suspect seen wielding a hammer. The pants were later found during a search at a residence, according to the affidavit.

The document also describes social media posts that appear to have images of some of the stolen Camarillo Gun Store firearms and cell phone text communications about selling them.

Where burglars struck

The complaint covers a string of incidents that started in October:

  • Oct. 9: Chaparral Coin and Gun in Murrieta, where 43 firearms were stolen;

  • March 25: Poway Weapons and Gear in Poway, where 78 firearms were stolen;

  • June 12: Ammo Bros in Ontario (attempted)

  • June 13: Fallbrook Guns and Ammo (attempted)

  • June 17: Firearms Unknown in Oceanside, where 33 firearms were stolen

  • June 18: Ammo Bros in Riverside, where 25 firearms were stolen

  • July 1: Camarillo Gun Store in Camarillo, where 63 firearms were stolen

  • July 9: Smokin Barrel Gun Store in Simi Valley (attempted)

  • July 13: Fowler’s Gun Room in Orange, where 70 firearms were stolen.

In Camarillo, a total loss estimate of more than $126,000 included about $80,000 in property damage and more than $46,000 in lost inventory, according to the complaint. Structural damage to the Simi Valley store was about $30,000.

The defendants appeared in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana on Tuesday. Bail was set at $20,000 for five of the men, while the judge ordered the sixth permanently detained, court records show.

All were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and a preliminary hearing was set for July 30. Arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 5.

If convicted, the defendants would each face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, according to prosecutors.

Along with the ATF and Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, investigating agencies include the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, San Diego Sheriff’s Department, and Orange Police Department.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Details emerge in Camarillo gun store burglary and Simi Valley attempt