Jan 7, 2009 9:39 am US/Eastern
Nearly 70 Weapons Stolen From Area Gun Shows
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (CBS 3) ―
Federal agents are issuing warnings following the thefts of nearly 70 weapons from dealers leaving gun shows in King of Prussia in recent months.
Agents fear the weapons, many of them high-powered and deadly, are in the hands of dangerous criminals.
Investigators say a total of 26 various rifles, worth more than $200,000, were stolen from a truck outside a King of Prussia restaurant on December 21.
Police say the guns belonged to a firearms dealer who was headed home from a gun show at the Valley Forge Convention Center.
"A number of them are military weapons, though legal to own, now they're in the hands of criminals and that's what makes them so dangerous," ATF Special Agent John Hageman said.
Agents also say that two months before the December theft, another dealer had 43 handguns stolen from his vehicle in a nearby King of Prussia parking lot.
"It's imperative really for investigators to get those guns off the street before they harm someone," Hageman explained.
Also, on March 10, 2007, three gun dealers working a show inside the Convention Center were victims of thieves who stole weapons from their booths.
Investigators said one of the stolen guns was found in the hands of a young teenager in West Philadelphia during a car stop.
The ATF is offering a $10,000 reward for arrests in connection to the gun thefts. If you have any information, call
1-800-ATF-GUNS.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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