An early morning smash and grab burglary resulted in several guns being stolen from a Niles gun store, and police are offering up a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible for the pre-dawn raid.
Niles Police Capt. Kevin Kosten says his officers responded to a burglary alarm at The Firing Pin firearms store on N. 5th Street around 4:14am this morning. When officers arrived they found a vehicle had crashed into the building allowing access inside the store.
Officers searched the building and realized several firearms were missing and the thief or thieves had made their escape successfully. The owners of the Firing Pin are busy completing an inventory to identify the exact type and number of weapons stolen in the burglary, and early stages of the investigation have determined that there were several suspects involved in the break-in.
After Police spoke with the owner of the vehicle found smashed into the gun store, they say it was apparent the his vehicle had been stolen overnight from his own driveway in Niles. He admitted to police that he had left the car keys inside the unlocked vehicle overnight.
The Niles Police Department continues to investigate the incident at 318 N. 5th Street at the Firing Pin gun store and tell us that a cash reward is available for information leading to the arrest of individuals responsible.
Capt. Kosten says there are several ways to report information regarding this case:
- Contact the Niles Police Detective Bureau directly (269-683-0404)
- Anonymously text a tip to 274637 (start your text message with the keyword: tipnilespd)
- Submit a tip to Niles Police online by visiting www.tipsoft.com
- Submit a tip through the City of Niles website
Niles Police were assisted in the investigation by the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department and are hopeful for a break in the case to track the missing, stolen weapons from the Firing Pin.
