Dallas Man Charged with Theft of Firearms During Protests
A third Dallas man who exploited the chaos of the Black Lives Matter protests to steal firearms has been charged with gun crimes, announces U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.
Erick Montgomery, 18, was charged via criminal complaint with theft from a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) and possession of stolen firearms.
Montgomery is the third defendant in a criminal trio which includes Demonte Kelly, 18, and Lejael Rudley, 19, all charged with burglary of DFW Gun Range in Dallas, Texas.
According to the complaint, a surveillance camera recorded three men exiting DFW Gun Range around 1:45 a.m. on Sunday, May 31, shortly after the theft of more than 40 firearms.
In the span of just 80 seconds, the men allegedly pried open the side entrance of the facility, grabbed three rifles posted on the wall, and smashed glass cases to snatch several dozen handguns stored inside.
Following ATF’s release of the surveillance video, the Dallas Police Department received a credible lead in the investigation. A tipster claimed to know the identities of the three men, including Montgomery, that were shown in the surveillance video which aired on a local news channel.
ATF Special Agents tracked Montgomery to a Dallas apartment where he waived is Miranda rights and agreed to speak with agents. Montgomery admitted that he was present the night of the gun range burglary and stole multiple firearms.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of wrongdoing, not evidence. Montgomery is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
ATF has recovered a total of eight firearms from the burglary. ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office urge the public to report any information they have on the whereabouts of the outstanding stolen weapons: 888-ATF-TIPS, ATFTips@atf.gov, http://atf.gov/contact/atftips, @Reportitcom, or text ATFDAL to 63975.
Montgomery made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rebecca Rutherford today. If convicted, Montgomery, Kelly, and Rudley each face up to 20 years in federal prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gary Tromblay, Joe Magliolo, and Keith Robinson are prosecuting the case.
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