BEAVERTON, Ore. — A gun theft in Washington County has federal investigators offering a big cash reward for the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
On the morning of Oct. 5 someone broke into A Cut Above Pawn shop at 18335 Southwest Tualatin Valley Highway in Beaverton, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Investigators said a person or persons stole 20, semi-automatic pistols — usually referred to as handguns.
“You can fire a lot of rounds very quickly, there are also extended magazines that can make them even more dangerous,” said Jason Chudy, PIO for the ATF Seattle Field Division. “These are 20 firearms that could be used to kill somebody or hurt somebody or a carjacking or used to rob a store.”
The ATF Seattle Field Division wants the stolen guns recovered and those who stole them arrested. They're offering up to a $5,000 reward, matched by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. That makes it up to a $10,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
“Those firearms are generally going to remain in that area,” said Chudy. “This event happened in Beaverton so most likely [the guns] are going to stay in the Beaverton area or they're going to migrate over to Portland and they're a danger to the community.”
Police said most of the guns used in crimes in the Portland metro area are stolen or obtained illegally and a recent KGW investigation found more than half of them were semi-automatic pistols.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is leading this investigation.
“Any theft of a gun is big in our eyes,” said Washington County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Danny DiPietro. He added that the theft seemed to be an isolated incident and that investigators appreciate the ATF's partnership.
“The reward is just going to further the investigation and hopefully we'll get some tips,” said DiPietro. “We want to find these guns, we want to get them off the street, we want to make sure they don't fall into the wrong hands.”
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the ATF tip line at 1-888-283-8477. Callers can remain anonymous but must share their name and information if they want to be eligible for the $10,000 reward.
“If you think you know something let us know,” said Chudy. “We can either use that tip or rule it out.”