U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten talks about the than 100 recovered stolen handguns that were stolen during a press conference, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Benton Township, Mich. Two men, who are brothers, are accused of targeting a Dunham’s near Benton Harbor. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP)
DETROIT — More than 100 handguns were stolen from a store in southwestern Michigan after the manager was held at gunpoint outside his home and forced to reveal how to turn off the alarm, authorities said Tuesday.
All guns except one were recovered and two men were arrested Friday, a day after the brazen heist at Dunham’s Sports, U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said.
“Just look at the firepower on this table,” Jim Deir, head of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Michigan, told reporters.
“There’s over $100,000 worth of guns here. … My experience: These were headed to the streets. These were headed for quick sale, quick money,” Deir said.
The two men, who are brothers, are accused of targeting a Dunham’s near Benton Harbor, 100 miles (160.9 kilometers) east of Chicago.
A store manager told investigators he was confronted Thursday night, blindfolded and placed in the rear seat of a car, federal agent Mallorie Campbell said in a court filing.
“One of the subjects held a gun to his head and made him reveal the passcode to the alarm at the store,” Campbell wrote.
Store video shows a man later disabling the alarm system and filling two coolers with 123 handguns, Campbell said.
Investigators got the name of a suspect after he tried to transfer money from the manager’s bank account with a cash app, the agent said.
The complaint charges two men with four crimes, including gun theft. Campbell said they admitted their roles during interviews with investigators.
Totten declined to provide additional details about the Dunham’s manager, though he said anyone facing similar threats “probably had to imagine if they were going to come out of this alive.”
He also said there’s too much gun violence in Michigan and across the U.S.
“What happened at Dunham’s Sports is a striking example of what is driving this crisis,” Totten said.