6 people arrested after stealing 300 firearms in series of break-ins at Southern California gun store – Orange County Register

Six men have been arrested and are accused of being part of a group that used stolen cars to rob gun stores in Southern California and stole a total of more than 300 firearms.

The break-ins also include Fowler’s Gun Room in Orange, where a group of men backed a stolen Kia sedan into the store and stole 70 firearms early Saturday morning, federal and local law enforcement officials said.

The men are accused of conspiring to steal the weapons from the property of federal firearms license holders, authorities said. If convicted, they could face up to 10 years in prison, said Ciaran McEvoy, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“These were dangerous actions,” U.S. District Judge John Early told the defendants, who made their first court appearance on Tuesday. “Even if your actions did not put the public in immediate danger, stealing cars at 3 a.m. was dangerous. It was dangerous to then crash those cars into commercial buildings, and it was dangerous to sell those weapons to God knows who.”

The shops were:

• • • Chaparral Coin and Gun in Murrieta, California, on October 9, 2023, where 43 firearms were stolen,
    • Poway Weapons and Gear in Poway, California, on March 25, 2024, where 78 firearms were stolen,
    • Unknown firearms in Oceanside, California on June 17, 2024, where 33 firearms were stolen,
    • Ammo Bros in Riverside, California on June 18, 2024, where 25 firearms were stolen,
    • Camarillo Gun Store in Camarillo, California on July 1, 2024, where 63 firearms were stolen, and
    • Fowler’s Gun Room in Orange, California, on July 13, 2024, where 70 firearms were stolen.

The men also attempted to break into other stores and steal firearms: Ammo Bros in Ontario on June 12, Fallbrook Guns and Ammo in Fallbrook on June 13 and Smokin Barrel Gun Store in Simi Valley on July 9, authorities said.

The defendants are:

• • • • • Cross Arjay Goree, also known as “C3”, 18, from Lake Elsinore,
        • Caine Aiden Goree, 22, of Lake Elsinore,
        • Kenneth Gilmore III, aka “Kenny,” 19, of Las Vegas,
        • Brendan Markel Hawkins, 19, of Lake Elsinore,
        • Calvin Logan Gray, 18, of Murietta, and
        • Kendall Eric Johnson, also known as “K3,” 23, of Lake Elsinore.

Cross Goree, Caine Goree and Johnson were arrested Saturday after officers executed a search warrant on their Lake Elsinore home, McEvoy said. When they made their presence known, officers said they saw Gilmore and Cross attempting to run from the back of the house. Both were later arrested.

While searching the home, officers found 45 firearms stolen from Fowler’s gun room, two firearms stolen from the gun shop in Camarillo, one stolen from Chaparral Coin and Gun and one stolen from Poway Weapons and Gear, McEvoy said.

In each case, the suspects used a stolen car, rammed the store’s facade to get into the store, then stormed the store and smashed the display cases to steal the firearms.

The break-ins lasted for about nine months.

The suspects are believed to have sold some of the firearms on the black market and some were seized in separate criminal investigations, McEvoy said.

In all of the robberies, the burglars wore dark pants, hoodies, masks and some wore gloves, according to an affidavit in the case.

The affidavit included several screenshots of posts from an Instagram account believed to belong to Cross Goree showing stolen guns and cash. Authorities also used cell phone data from some of the suspects’ phones that showed they were inside at least some of the gun stores during the break-ins.

After the Poway robbery, authorities tracked the getaway vehicle to a home in Las Vegas, the affidavit states. Authorities recovered some of the stolen firearms after conducting traffic stops on vehicles leaving the home.

Five other firearms stolen from Poway Weapons and Gear were recovered by Los Angeles police in unrelated incidents in Los Angeles and San Pedro, the affidavit states.

The owner of Fowler’s Gun Store estimated the suspects stole $115,000 worth of firearms and caused $111,000 in building damage, the affidavit states. The owner of Camarillo Gun Store estimated inventory loss at over $46,000 and property damage at $80,000. Poway Weapons and Gear estimated property damage at $60,000, while Chaparral Gun and Coin estimated total damage at $35,000.

Bail for each defendant was set at $20,000. They are scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on July 30.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, San Diego Sheriff’s Department and Orange Police Department are investigating.

See also:

Four people arrested in Nevada after burglars stole 78 guns during a break-in at a Poway gun store

Thieves break into gun shop in Oceanside with car and steal firearms

Writer Hunter Lee contributed to this story.