PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Police have nabbed more than a dozen people from Philadelphia, most of them teenagers, in what authorities say was a string of gun store burglaries across Montgomery and Bucks counties last fall.
Thirteen people, ranging in age from 14 to 40, are charged with stealing 93 guns. The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said they are part of a known gang in Philadelphia called 54th Street.
Thirty-three of the stolen handguns have been recovered — some at scenes of violent crimes, including a homicide and an attempted homicide. On Sept. 29, 2022, one of the stolen guns was used in a shooting in Philadelphia’s Kingsessing neighborhood, which left a 16-year-old dead and a 14-year-old wounded.
Sixty stolen guns remain unaccounted for.
The smash-and-grab burglaries happened between late September and late November at Founding Fathers Outfitters in Lafayette Hill, Target World gun shop in Chalfont, and Tanner’s Sports Center in Warwick Township, Bucks County.
There was an attempted burglary at Continental Armory in Hatboro, but officials said the group fled before stealing anything.
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Felony charges range from conspiracy and burglary to firearms trafficking.
Nine teens are charged as juveniles, but a 16-year-old and a now-18-year-old are charged as adults.
The two adults include 40-year-old Angel Mason of West Philadelphia and 22-year-old Donte Purnell of Southwest Philadelphia.