Flatbed used in weapons heist found across street from Delaware gun shop
NEW CASTLE COUNTY, Delaware (WPVI) -- A vehicle believed to be involved in the burglary of a gun store in New Castle County was recovered on Tuesday, directly across the street from the scene of the crime.
The owner of a gun shop spoke to Action News on Tuesday after his store was burglarized.
He says the Monday morning burglary was nothing short of well-planned and brazen.
"Being right on this highway, in a very secure building, and we've got New Castle County Police Headquarters three miles north of us, we've got Delaware State Police Troop 2 five miles from us. This was absolutely brazen to even attempt this," said Bob Miller, owner of Miller's Guns Center in Wilmington Manor, Delaware.
Investigators say the thief started by stealing a flatbed truck from a facility approximately 10 miles away.
A short time later, just before 2 a.m. Monday, the suspect backed the flatbed into the front of the gun store on Route 13.
The shop's security system notified the police right away, but a witness told authorities what they would be looking for.
"A passerby actually called and said that they saw a flatbed truck backing into the business," said New Castle County Police Corp. Richard Chambers.
The thief ended up getting away with an undisclosed number of handguns.
In an odd twist, however, a trail of bricks revealed how the suspect fled the scene down Route 13 southbound.
The flatbed was then recovered more than 24 hours later at a dry cleaner, which was right across the street from the gun shop.
Investigators are now going through surveillance video to determine how, and hopefully why, the suspect returned to the scene without being detected.
Meanwhile, Miller says he is eager for investigators to catch the person responsible.
"I just didn't think anything like that would ever happen to us," he said. "We've got a really, really good security system and we've got surveillance."
"Very brazen to do what he did, and that may be what gets him caught," Miller added.
Sources close to the investigation tell Action News that at this point, investigators believe only one person was involved in this heist.
Surveillance video of the incident has not been released to the media, but it is being reviewed by several law enforcement agencies, including the ATF, the FBI, and New Castle County police.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact the authorities.
