TAYLOR, Mich. – Two 19-year-old men are in jail Tuesday after they were caught red-handed breaking into a Taylor gun store, police said.
The break-in happened around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday at Recoil Firearms on Ecorse Road near Telegraph Road.
"I feel very fortunate," store owner Paul Alberts said. "I think we're blessed."
He said Tuesday could have ended up much worse as the thieves tried to get away with four long guns, a pile of handguns and several boxes of ammunition.
"Criminals do their best to get their hands on them," Alberts said. "This good guys won this time."
The two 19-year-olds, one from Wayne and one from Detroit, climbed a pole on the back of the store and broke in through the ventilation system, according to authorities.
Police said that tripped a silent alarm, allowing Taylor officers to get there and watch the thieves fill their bags.
The two tried to get out the front door by smashing through the thick glass. When police went to make an arrest, one man surrendered immediately and the other ran about 400 yards before being caught, according to authorities.
They're both in police custody, and the stockpile of guns didn't get into the wrong hands.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is handling the investigation because the men could face federal firearms charges that carry heft prison sentences.