Multiple rifles and handguns that were stolen in an overnight heist Monday at one of the county’s largest gun ranges were recovered in Las Vegas, according to the San Diego Sheriff's Department.
Four people were able to get away with about 80 firearms in duffle bags after making entry by using a stolen Hyundai Elantra to ram the front doors of the range, Lt. David Ladieu of the Sheriff's Department confirmed to NBC 7 Wednesday.
Deputies responded to an alarm just after 3:00 a.m. Monday morning at Poway Weapons and Gear on Danielson Street. They arrived to find the front door and a security roll-up door broken open, along with the Elantra that had been abandoned outside.
The quartet of thieves had left in a silver SUV, LaDieu confirmed.
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Since then, three individuals were arrested in connection with the burglary and thefts, ATF spokesperson Ginger Colbrun confirmed.
The area around the front doors is now boarded up, but it was business as usual otherwise on Tuesday inside the large gun store, with customers seen entering and leaving the building.
LaDieu confirmed Wednesday that local detectives worked alongside local law enforcement in Nevada and located at least 30 of the stolen guns inside a Las Vegas home, where one person was also taken into custody.
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Several other stolen weapons were located in a vehicle when police stopped vehicles that had left the home.
This was the second burglary and theft of guns at the range in little more than two years. In November 2021, 12 guns were stolen in a similar overnight break-in. One of the two suspects was eventually caught with the help of surveillance video.
Jaime Angel Zamora, 32, was arrested on March 1, 2022, and charged federally with the theft of the firearms.
Zamora pleaded guilty to the thefts in November 2022 but due to continued delays related to further investigation, he is now scheduled to be sentenced on May 17.
The Poway shooting range is used by San Diego Police officers for practice and testing since an NBC 7 Investigation revealed high lead levels were present at their old facility, in the Fairmount neighborhood.
At the time, the range was undergoing improvements and was expected to reopen in a matter of months. That didn’t happen.
The city of San Diego hasn’t said what its plans are for the Fairmount facility. The city pays $351,000 per year to use the Poway range since the closure.
