Arrest Made In Burglary Of 53 Firearms From Springfield Gun Store
SPRINGFIELD, VA — Police have arrested one of the four suspects in the burglary of a gun shop in Springfield, where 53 firearms, including AR-style weapons and silencers, were stolen on April 29, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
Cedric Minger, 20, of Brandywine, Maryland, was arrested by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at a home in Washington, D.C., police said. The three other suspects in the burglary have yet to be identified by police.
Minger was charged with burglary and larceny of firearms. He remains held without bond at the Fairfax County adult detention center, according to police.
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Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said Monday that the police department is working with the ATF and its regional police partners on the investigation into the April 29 burglary of the Dominion Defense gun shop on Fullerton Road in Springfield.
“We’ve made one arrest. We certainly anticipate making more arrests,” Davis told a Patch reporter on Monday during a news conference at Fairfax County’s Public Safety Headquarters.
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Davis said that while the guns were stolen in Fairfax County, they have made their way into other jurisdictions in the D.C. area.
“Ultimately, ATF is involved because at some point in time, the ATF will examine the viability of federal charges for the persons who were arrested, which is probably the most appropriate venue for these lawbreakers to be held accountable for their crimes,” Davis said.
READ ALSO: Dozens Of Long Guns, Handguns Stolen From Springfield Gun Shop: Police
The burglary of Dominion Defense occurred between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Saturday, April 29, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Three masked men were seen on security footage getting into the business through a small opening above the door, police said.
After getting into the gun store, the suspects stole the 53 firearms — a combination of long guns and handguns, according to police. A fourth masked men remained outside as a lookout. The suspects left the gun store in a gray Acura four-door sedan with no front license plate.
At a bond hearing for Minger on Friday, the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Office said one of the guns stolen from the Springfield gun store was taken by a juvenile to a school. FOX5 reported Friday that the gun was taken to a school in D.C.
The student aimed the gun at another student and pulled the trigger, but the gun was not loaded, Fairfax County Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Ashleigh Landers Sutton said at Minger’s bond hearing.
Minger was partially identified by a clergyman after Fairfax County police released footage of the gun shop burglary, according to the commonwealth’s attorney office. The car used during the robbery was stolen from a Fairfax city dealership, where police recovered another abandoned car that was stolen from Maryland, prosecutors said.
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When the ATF arrested Minger, he tried to flee and one agent was wounded, prosecutors said. Eleven weapons were recovered at the D.C. home where he was taken into custody.
At Friday’s bond hearing, the judge ruled that Minger would remain held without bond.
“Over the last few weeks, Fairfax County residents have been concerned about alarming incidents that involve assault weapons,” Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said in a statement. “My office remains vigilant regarding the threat of gun violence in our community, and we are working across law enforcement agencies to reduce harm and prevent future violence as summer begins.”
“Too many gun crimes are conducted with stolen guns, which is one of the reasons we take these allegations — of robbing a gun store of more than 50 weapons — extremely seriously,” Descano said.
To date, 15 out of 53 guns stolen in the burglary have been recovered, police said.
At Monday’s news conference, Davis described the burglary as “a very strategic one” where the suspects broke into a gun store and then immediately put “53 more guns on the streets, not just Fairfax County, but jurisdictions throughout the National Capital Region.”
“We want to bring all the folks that are involved in that to justice,” Davis said.
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