4 suspects at large after Rockville gun store burglary, police say

Damage to a police cruiser is seen after police say it was rammed by suspects following a burglary of the United Gun Store in Rockville. (Courtesy Montgomery County Police)
Damage to a police cruiser is seen after police say it was rammed by suspects following a burglary of the United Gun Store in Rockville. (Courtesy Montgomery County Police)
Guns recovered outside the suspect vehicle that was involved in the United Gun Shop burglary in Rockville on June 13, 2019. (Courtesy Montgomery County Police)
Guns recovered outside the suspect vehicle that was involved in the United Gun Shop burglary in Rockville on June 13, 2019. (Courtesy Montgomery County Police)
A suspect's vehicle is seen in a gun shop in Rockville after five suspects attempted to rob the store in the early morning hours of June 13, 2019. (Courtesy Montgomery County Police)
A suspect’s vehicle is seen in a gun shop in Rockville after five suspects attempted to rob the store in the early morning hours of June 13, 2019. (Courtesy Montgomery County Police)
Police work at the scene of a gun store burglary on Randolph Road in Rockville on June 13, 2019. (WTOP/John Domen)
Police work at the scene of a gun store burglary on Randolph Road in Rockville on June 13, 2019. (WTOP/John Domen)
Police work at the scene of a gun store burglary on Randolph Road in Rockville on June 13, 2019. (WTOP/John Domen)
Police work at the scene of a gun store burglary on Randolph Road in Rockville on June 13, 2019. (WTOP/John Domen)
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Damage to a police cruiser is seen after police say it was rammed by suspects following a burglary of the United Gun Store in Rockville. (Courtesy Montgomery County Police)
Guns recovered outside the suspect vehicle that was involved in the United Gun Shop burglary in Rockville on June 13, 2019. (Courtesy Montgomery County Police)
A suspect's vehicle is seen in a gun shop in Rockville after five suspects attempted to rob the store in the early morning hours of June 13, 2019. (Courtesy Montgomery County Police)
Police work at the scene of a gun store burglary on Randolph Road in Rockville on June 13, 2019. (WTOP/John Domen)
Police work at the scene of a gun store burglary on Randolph Road in Rockville on June 13, 2019. (WTOP/John Domen)

Four suspects are on the loose and one suspect is dead after a burglary at a Rockville, Maryland, gun store early Thursday, Montgomery County police said.

As there are four possibly armed suspects on the loose, police are urging local residents to navigate the area with extra caution.

An alarm went off at the United Gun Shop at the intersection of Randolph Road and Parklawn Drive around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, police said.

The five suspects rammed into a police cruiser as they were fleeing the scene, causing police to shoot at the car, officials said. Police later found the car a few blocks away from the area with a dead man inside.

Police said they found a bag with multiple firearms inside in a backyard not far from the scene. Three other guns were found outside the car the suspects tried to get away in.

It appears two vehicles reported stolen out of Anne Arundel County were used in the incident: one to ram the storefront and a getaway car.

Later Thursday, police said an officer that had responded to the burglary in progress opened fire on the suspects as they were making their escape, ramming into his cruiser. The suspect who was found dead inside the vehicle had a gunshot wound.

The officer who had opened fire is on administrative leave pending review, police said.

Eastbound Randolph Road between Parklawn Drive and Putnam Road was shutdown as police investigated the incident, but reopened before 11 a.m.

WTOP’s John Domen, who was on the scene, reported that police were advising residents that if something seemed “off” in a yard or house to call police immediately.

Another gun store in the Maple Lawn section of Laurel was burglarized in a very similar way Wednesday morning, though it is unknown if the two incidents are connected.

Howard County police said officers responded to Fox Firearms at 2 a.m., where unknown suspects gained entry to the shop by driving a stolen vehicle through the front of the store, escaping with several guns. A county police spokesperson said so far “there has been no determination made” about whether the Howard County case is connected to the Montgomery County case.

This isn’t the first time United Gun Shop in Rockville has been burglarized. In 2017, multiple guns were stolen early on a Thursday morning, after suspects forced open the front door and took several handguns and long guns.

WTOP’s John Domen reported from Rockville, Maryland.

Valerie Bonk

Valerie Bonk started working at WTOP in 2016 and has lived in Howard County, Maryland, her entire life. She's thrilled to be a reporter for WTOP telling stories on air. She works as both a television and radio reporter in the Maryland and D.C. areas. 

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