I just got back from an afternoon unexpectedly spent with Lancaster PD. A buddy in the office buys and sells guns all the time with the various brokers (guntrader, gunbroker, etc.) In this case, it was texas guntrader. Buddy is selling a AR-15, 300 BLK with pistol configuration. Buddy comes into my office and asks if I'll accompany him on a quick 30 minute trip to Lancaster to sell a gun. We're both CHLs. He said the guy on the phone just gave him the heebie jeebies.
Buddy calls buyer to confirm location and insists it be public and asks for the guys vehicle type. He also asks over the phone while we're driving that the buyer is over 21, has a Texas ID and willing to sign a bill of sale. As we get to the location (some furniture place of I-35), we see the guy standing by his stated vehicle.
I sit shotgun while Buddy opens the rear driver door and shows the guy the gun. It is immediately evident that this guy doesn't know about this gun. He also appears to be 17 or 18. He did not know what 300 BLK is, but wanted to know where he could buy ammo. He handled the gun like a novice and I had to ask him several times not to turn and face the interstate highway frontage road brandishing the weapon. Then Buddy asks for ID. Buyer shows him a Mississippi license and Buddy immediately puts the gun back in the case and says, "I'm not selling to you." Buyer pleads and says he really wants the gun and has a someone who can come buy it. Buddy says, if you want to do that, lets go to a pawnshop where I can get the weapon transferred, then he slides the weapon under the back seat. Buyer then asks to describe the ammo it takes and where he can buy it. Buddy crabs a piece of paper and begins to write, Buyer snatches gun faster than we could blink and runs. He was a fast little ****. Buddy gave chase for a sec and realized no way we were going to get him. He dashed through two commercial building and through a field. The whole time, I had my sidearm loaded and at my feet, but it was too late and I wasn't going to shoot in this situation anyway.
Buddy calls 911, explains the situation. Either it was a slow day in Lancaster or the PD take stolen semi-automatics very seriously, because we had four Lancaster PD cars at our location within four minutes. After interviewing us, after about 10 minutes we could hear on the radio they had a guy matching our description, holding a rifle, and asking people for a ride. Three PD cars with us take off, one officer stays with us.
They chased the guy through a creek, never found him, but found an AR. We thought it was Buddy's gun. Detectives come by after an hour or so and it wasn't Buddy's gun, but apparently this same email address has stolen three ARs since Sunday in this exact manner, and the AR was one of those.
The vehicle described wasn't buyer's. It belonged to a worker in the furniture store. He must have been sitting there for a while and he knew the area because he knew a vehicle matching the description he told would be in front of the store
I'll keep you posted. Just be careful. One officer suggested asking buyers to meet at a PD station.
UPDATE JUNE 4:
We think LPD got the guy. When giving the description, we noticed he had amateur looking stitches on his hand - very nasty stitches that looked homemade with fishing line. They arrested a guy and texted my buddy a picture of the stitches, and they were the perp's stitches.
A guy posted on txguntrader a "beware of robbers" post and explained that he had an AR stolen in this same manner yesterday. My buddy ended up talking to him. Turns out, as soon as the perp stole my buddy's gun, he jumped in a car and rode about two blocks away where he jacked the sig sauer that was found in the creek (that gun belonged to the "beware of robbers" poster on txguntrader). Anyways, we expect he is being booked and may get to go do a lineup later.
UPDATE 2: gun recovered in kid's attic. kid will be going to jail for sure.
[This message has been edited by Bottlerocket (edited 6/4/2014 5:20p).]
[This message has been edited by Bottlerocket (edited 6/4/2014 8:08p).]
Buddy calls buyer to confirm location and insists it be public and asks for the guys vehicle type. He also asks over the phone while we're driving that the buyer is over 21, has a Texas ID and willing to sign a bill of sale. As we get to the location (some furniture place of I-35), we see the guy standing by his stated vehicle.
I sit shotgun while Buddy opens the rear driver door and shows the guy the gun. It is immediately evident that this guy doesn't know about this gun. He also appears to be 17 or 18. He did not know what 300 BLK is, but wanted to know where he could buy ammo. He handled the gun like a novice and I had to ask him several times not to turn and face the interstate highway frontage road brandishing the weapon. Then Buddy asks for ID. Buyer shows him a Mississippi license and Buddy immediately puts the gun back in the case and says, "I'm not selling to you." Buyer pleads and says he really wants the gun and has a someone who can come buy it. Buddy says, if you want to do that, lets go to a pawnshop where I can get the weapon transferred, then he slides the weapon under the back seat. Buyer then asks to describe the ammo it takes and where he can buy it. Buddy crabs a piece of paper and begins to write, Buyer snatches gun faster than we could blink and runs. He was a fast little ****. Buddy gave chase for a sec and realized no way we were going to get him. He dashed through two commercial building and through a field. The whole time, I had my sidearm loaded and at my feet, but it was too late and I wasn't going to shoot in this situation anyway.
Buddy calls 911, explains the situation. Either it was a slow day in Lancaster or the PD take stolen semi-automatics very seriously, because we had four Lancaster PD cars at our location within four minutes. After interviewing us, after about 10 minutes we could hear on the radio they had a guy matching our description, holding a rifle, and asking people for a ride. Three PD cars with us take off, one officer stays with us.
They chased the guy through a creek, never found him, but found an AR. We thought it was Buddy's gun. Detectives come by after an hour or so and it wasn't Buddy's gun, but apparently this same email address has stolen three ARs since Sunday in this exact manner, and the AR was one of those.
The vehicle described wasn't buyer's. It belonged to a worker in the furniture store. He must have been sitting there for a while and he knew the area because he knew a vehicle matching the description he told would be in front of the store
I'll keep you posted. Just be careful. One officer suggested asking buyers to meet at a PD station.
UPDATE JUNE 4:
We think LPD got the guy. When giving the description, we noticed he had amateur looking stitches on his hand - very nasty stitches that looked homemade with fishing line. They arrested a guy and texted my buddy a picture of the stitches, and they were the perp's stitches.
A guy posted on txguntrader a "beware of robbers" post and explained that he had an AR stolen in this same manner yesterday. My buddy ended up talking to him. Turns out, as soon as the perp stole my buddy's gun, he jumped in a car and rode about two blocks away where he jacked the sig sauer that was found in the creek (that gun belonged to the "beware of robbers" poster on txguntrader). Anyways, we expect he is being booked and may get to go do a lineup later.
UPDATE 2: gun recovered in kid's attic. kid will be going to jail for sure.
[This message has been edited by Bottlerocket (edited 6/4/2014 5:20p).]
[This message has been edited by Bottlerocket (edited 6/4/2014 8:08p).]
