Seven juveniles and one 19-year-old have been arrested following a year-long investigation onto a series of gun store break-ins by Allegheny County Police, the PA Attorney General and other law enforcement agencies.
The juveniles are between the age 14-17.
19-year-old Chalais Ramey was taken into custody on Wednesday and transported to the Allegheny County Jail.
Ramsey is the only suspect currently charged as an adult.
“These crimes alarmed the community — and for good reason. Any and all thefts of firearms should be perceived as direct threats to public safety. I am very pleased that, along with our partners, we can say today that we know who was responsible and we are holding them accountable with very serious charges,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “Due to many of these being juvenile allegations at the moment, I am limited in what can be said publicly, but I assure Pennsylvanians that we are not treating these crimes as child’s play.”
The group is accused of stealing 79 firearms in gun shop burglaries in Allegheny County as well as Ohio.
About two dozen guns still haven't been accounted for.
The group is accused of using stolen vehicles to break into Allegheny Arms in Bethel Park, stealing 56 weapons in January of last year and Expert Outfitters in North Lima, Ohio.
23 weapons were taken in that incident.
Police say they also tried to burglarize two other gun stores in Allegheny County.
“The actions of these individuals have already had tragic consequences and endangered countless lives in our community,” Allegheny County Police Superintendent Christopher Kearns said. “We are grateful for the teamwork and cooperation from all of the agencies involved in this investigation and we will continue to work to remove all of these stolen guns from our streets.”
The investigation was conducted by Allegheny County Police in conjunction with officers from various local department, the office of the PA Attorney General and ATF.
Officials say the stolen guns have been linked to multiple crimes in the area, including the fatal shooting of a 7-year-old boy in the City of Pittsburgh.