A thief tunneled into the side of a family-owned gun store in Newcastle on Monday morning and stole at least $40,000 worth of firearms.
Around 1:20 a.m., a person was caught on a surveillance camera removing siding from Foothill Firearms, 213 Taylor Road, creating a hole to enter, said Elise Soviar, spokeswoman for the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
The robber took up to 50 firearms from the store and left.
Jaimie Kuntz, co-owner of Foothill Firearms, said she received a call at 4 a.m. from the store’s security company that the store’s alarm was going off, and another call from a neighboring business owner who informed Kuntz that her store was being robbed.
“(The owner of the neighboring business) said she saw them fleeing the scene and heard the sound of something in their bags,” she said.
Less than 20 minutes after receiving the call, Kuntz said she and her family arrived at the store to begin taking inventory and repair the hole in the wall. The family reported the robbery to the Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Justice and the ATF.
Surveillance footage showed the robber trying unsuccessfully to hide the crime, according to Kuntz.
“They tried spray painting the camera to block it, but they spray painted the one and only one that doesn’t work… so we have them all the way,” she said.
The value of the seized firearms was estimated to be at least $40,000 — between $900 and $1,800 per piece — according to Kuntz, but the company is still determining the number of firearms seized and the total cost. in damages.
“This is really complicated for a small family business,” Kuntz said.
The Sheriff’s Office said an investigation into the robbery was ongoing, adding that it was working to complete the description of the suspect using the video.
