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Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Reward Notice

For Immediate Release

Friday, December 29, 2017
Contact: Jason Chudy

ATF, NSSF Offer up to $10,000 Reward in Bellevue Gun Store Burglary

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, announced a reward today for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for the Dec. 26 burglary of West Coast Armory, at 13216 SE 32nd St, Bellevue, WA 98005, in which approximately 70 firearms were taken.

ATF is offering a reward of up to $5,000, matched by the NSSF for a possible reward of up to $10,000.

Three suspects wearing hooded sweatshirts and/or jackets, gloves and face coverings backed a stolen car through the front of the business about 3 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 26. The three took about 70 firearms, the vast majority being handguns. Four semiautomatic rifles were taken as well as one short-barreled rifle and a sound suppressor, sometimes known as a “silencer.”

The vehicle used to gain entry into the store was recovered after being abandoned in a nearby apartment complex. Other suspects may have been involved in helping the three flee the scene.

Anyone with information about the person or persons responsible and/or information leading to the recovery of the stolen firearms should contact ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS (888-283-8477), email ATFTips@atf.gov, or contact ATF through its website at www.atf.gov/contact/atftips. Tips may also be submitted to ATF using the ReportIt® app, available on both Google Play and the Apple App Store, or by visiting www.reportit.com. All calls and tips will be kept confidential.

This reward is part of a larger national cooperative initiative between the NSSF and ATF in which the NSSF matches ATF rewards in cases involving the theft of firearms from federally licensed retailers. ATF works closely with the members of the firearms industry to curb the criminal acquisition and misuse of firearms.

ATF is the federal agency with jurisdiction over violations of federal firearms laws. More information about ATF and its programs is available at www.atf.gov.

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Seattle Field Division