Jago Times "English Edition" Best Online Newspaper
Two teenagers face federal charges and a third person is at large after authorities say they “exploited the chaos” of Dallas protests to steal dozens of handguns from a Stemmons Corridor store.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/DJP36ZQMRJHL7BI26NNS3PXZVY.jpg)
Demonte Tretion Kelly, 18, and Lejael Justus Rudley, 19, were taken into custody Wednesday on one count each of possession of stolen firearms and theft from a federal firearms licensee.
Three men pried open the side door of DFW Gun Range, at 1607 W. Mockingbird Lane, about 1:40 a.m. Sunday, according to a criminal complaint.
One grabbed rifles off the wall while the other two smashed open glass cases containing handguns. In 80 seconds, they left the store with 43 handguns and three rifles, authorities said.
An anonymous tip led authorities to surveil Kelly, who was staying at a southeast Oak Cliff motel, the complaint says, with Rudley in an adjoining room.
Dallas police performed a traffic stop Wednesday afternoon on Kelly and Rudley, and officers reported finding one of the stolen handguns in the vehicle.
Both admitted taking part in the gun-store burglary, the complaint says, and authorities found several more stolen weapons in their motel rooms. Kelly also said he’d sold one of the guns, the complaint says.
If convicted, they each face up to 20 years in federal prison.
Recognize these men? The trio was captured on video Sunday 5/31 at 1:30am stealing 46 firearms from DFW Gun Range in Dallas. A $10,000 reward is offered by @ATFDallas & @NSSF. Contact 888-ATF-TIPS – ATFTips@atf.gov – https://t.co/uCV2OqwEZa – @Reportitcom – text ATFDAL to 63975 pic.twitter.com/Riv9llkQ2d
— ATF Dallas (@ATFDallas) June 2, 2020
A third suspect remained at large. Anyone with information may contact the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at 888-283-8477 or atftips@atf.gov.
Saturday night and early Sunday, police focused their attention on downtown Dallas, deploying tear gas and arresting dozens as more than 1,000 protesters marched through the streets demanding an end to police brutality.
“Theft of firearms will always trigger swift law enforcement action,” U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox said in a written statement about the arrests in the gun case. “This prosecution sends a message: Federal law enforcement will not allow criminals to use the turmoil facing our city as cover for their own lawless ends.”