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Thieves ram stolen vehicle into Greenwood store, take 20 handguns

Dozens of guns stolen from gun store

GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — More than a dozen guns were stolen in a smash-and-grab robbery about 3 a.m. Monday at Greenwood Trading Post.

Police said the thieves used a stolen vehicle to ram into a brick column and smash the front, glass door. Then they broke the display case and grabbed about 20 handguns.

The gun shop is located at Fairview Place and State Road 135.

Assistant Police Chief Matthew Fillenwarth with Greenwood Police Department says gun shops are often hit in the Johnson County city. “I don’t know any that haven’t been targeted by burglary suspects because guns are easy to move in the black market.”

The broken glass and bricks were cleaned up later Monday from outside the store. The glass door was boarded up. Workers at the gun shop didn’t want to speak on camera, but Greenwood police say surveillance video shows the vehicle. Police would not share the video with News 8.

Fillenwarth says serial numbers and other gun identifiers will be entered into a national system so, if the guns are found anywhere in the country, the police will be alerted. But, he says, it may be too late. “It’s fairly safe to assume those guns are already in criminals’ hands and will probably be making their way on the streets fairly quickly.”

He added, “Best case for us, we are able to quickly identify suspects and get those guns before they make it on the streets and are used in crimes.”

The gun store is a family business that’s been in the Fairview strip mall location for two years.

Greenwood police encourage anyone with any information to reach out.

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