Detectives believe the same group of five masked, hooded and gloved burglars busted through the entrances of two Arapahoe County pawn shops within 25 minutes early Friday morning and stole various items including guns, officials say.
“It’s fairly fresh so we are working it hard,” said Julie Brooks, spokeswoman for the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities say the same white, crew-cab Ford pickup truck with a white tool box and white fuel-transfer tank was used in both burglaries. Both thefts were captured on store surveillance video.
Although these burglars did not crash into the entrances with stolen SUVs, the burglaries fit a type of so-called that have been happening with increasing frequency across the Denver metro area the past year.
The burglaries typically happen early in the morning by well-organized groups with multiple suspects and vehicles who , run inside, shatter glass display cases and quickly snatch upper-end items. They dash out within minutes, knowing that alarms will sound and police are on their way. They often target gun shops, pawn shops and convenience stores.
Beginning at 2:24 a.m. Friday, five suspects who appear to all be males smashed through the entrance of Gold Casino Pawn at 12201 E. Arapahoe Road.
The suspects grabbed at least two guns, Brooks said. Authorities are not releasing the types of weapons for investigative purposes. The suspects also stole other items.
The burglars struck a second time at 2:49 a.m. at Pawn King, 2260 S. Quebec St. An inventory of the stolen items have not been released, Brooks said.
Few arrests have been made in prior smash-and-grab burglaries.
