After the investigation, a Fairfax County Police cruiser secures the crime location
In what’s become a too frequent story, Dominion Defense, a gun store located on Fullerton Road in Springfield, was burglarized again on Sunday night, March 23. The theft was committed after the perpetrators smashed the glass front doors to gain entry to the closed store about 1:30 a.m. Two young men later were taken into custody, in Maryland, after police initially responded to the alarm alert and began searching for the perpetrators.
In a March 24 news conference, Chief Kevin Davis described a “quick apprehension” for a “brazen act” and reported that two 16 year old suspects had been located and apprehended after a coordinated response between Fairfax County and Maryland county police, the helicopter unit, and agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol and Firearms. A third teen suspect remained at large at this writing.
Video surveillance shows the perpetrators used a truck, stolen on March 21, to bulldoze into the store’s front glass door. The video then clearly shows them entering the store with bags, smashing gun cases; including with the use of hand gun butts, and filling the bags with guns; then retreating to the truck after an audible alarm begins sounding. Police arriving within five minutes of the initial alarm at the crime center began searching the area and found the stolen truck nearby. They detected evidence that a second vehicle had been stolen. Determining the model and license of that second vehicle allowed them to use license plate readers to follow the car’s movement to Maryland’s Gaithersburg area.
FCPD’s helicopter unit, with heat vision technology, and voice links to police units on the ground, assisted police on the ground to hone in on the suspects and detect their hiding places in garbage containers. Police in the air were also able to note where the guns had been dropped in garbage containers in an attempt to hide them. The third suspect, who separated from the two with visible gun filled bags upon exiting from the stolen car, was not found. Police gave priority to following the suspects with the stolen guns. Police were continuing their search for the third teen with a high likelihood of his apprehension.
The same gun store has been burglarized multiple times at night in the recent past. The Fullerton Road area of businesses and cafes, with its many car body shops and material suppliers, is fairly quiet at night. The gun store entrance is located out of sight from Fullerton Road, behind the multi-business building. Although the store has inside video surveillance and an alarm, there are no hardened entrance deterrents, such as bollards or steel reinforcements, to protect the glass entrance doors. Although the perpetrators in each case have been apprehended, not all the stolen firearms have been recovered.
On Dec. 20, 2024, police responded to an alarm at this store and arrested a 20-year-old man who had failed to gain entry to the store, but was found with burglary tools and wearing a mask. He is is out on bond pending his preliminary hearing in April on felony charges.
Earlier, Cedric Minger, 21, and Victor Jones, 22, of Maryland were arrested for their April 29, 2023 break-in, when 53 firearms were stolen after breaking the glass door with a stolen Acura. Fifteen of those firearms were recovered. Their felony cases were nolle prosequi in August 2023.
In the most infamous of the Dominion Defense break-ins, five teenagers, the youngest just 13, and two adults were arrested in November 2024 for their Sept. 18 break-in and theft. In what police called a “brazen” crime, four teenagers were seen on surveillance footage breaking the glass door with a stolen Kia, and leaving with armfuls of guns. Their crime spree included multiple additional burglaries, shootings and an abduction, before their arrest. Eight of the 14 stolen firearms were recovered
ATF Special Agent in Charge, Anthony Spotswood, said at the press conference, “What we do know is that these firearms were not taken for use on a firing range. They were stolen to be used in criminal instances; to harm people in our local community.” ATF statistics record that, in Virginia in 2023, 873 firearms were reported lost or stolen; 14,874 firearms were recovered and traced. The Bureau reports, "Stolen guns are often recovered at crime scenes, including at scenes of homicides or other violent crimes.”
According to Everytown Research & Policy, an independent, non-partisan organization dedicated to understanding and reducing gun violence, “The US has nearly 78,000 licensed gun dealers, more than all post offices in the United States, and more than the number of McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, and Wendy’s locations combined …. In 2022, federally licensed gun dealers reported over 17,000 firearms lost or stolen, averaging over 45 per day, highlighting a significant issue with gun theft and the potential for these firearms to enter illegal markets.”
Chief Davis indicated the perpetrators are in custody in Maryland where State law dictates they will be charged as adults. Charges are pending in Fairfax County and will follow, along with possible federal charges.
Asked about possible security changes at the oft burglarized store, Davis responded, “We’re here again. Something needs to change.”