FCPD: All suspects arrested in September crime spree, including gun store theft

All seven suspects believed to be connected to a robbery at a Newington gun store have been taken into custody, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis announced today (Friday).

Four suspects were seen on surveillance footage ramming a stolen vehicle into Dominion Defense early on the morning of Sept. 18, forcing their way in and emerging with 14 stolen firearms – a “brazen crime,” Davis said at a news conference this morning.

The same arms store had already been targeted in May 2023. The theft of 53 firearms ultimately led to prison sentences for two men who pleaded guilty to the crime.

But the Sept. 18 theft was just part of a violent crime spree linked to the suspects, police said.

The seven suspects, five of them teenagers, were involved in various crimes over the course of the month – according to police, almost all of them involved the use of a firearm.

The group is believed to have some involvement with an armed robbery in downtown Springfield (Sept. 7), a shooting in Lorton (Sept. 18), and shootings at two residences in Springfield and Lorton (Sept. 19 and 21). ), a kidnapping and robbery in Reston (September 20) and a robbery in Hybla Valley (September 22).

“These crimes were not just about weapons, but also about brutal behavior,” said Elizabeth Melendez, chief of the FCPD Criminal Investigation Bureau.

According to Anthony Spotswell of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, there is a trend of teens attacking gun stores to steal.

“It’s not just limited to Fairfax County, it’s happening all over the country,” he said. “…It’s just a matter of continuing to educate our firearms licensees.”

As of Friday, eight of the stolen firearms had been recovered, Davis said. All suspects remain in custody.