After Bakersfield Police responded heavily to a break-in at EP Armory on Wednesday night, local gun store owners are wondering why any criminals would think it's a good idea.
"Pretty much industrial strength stupid," said Gene Thome, owner of Bear Mountain Sports.
Police responded to The Armory on Wednesday night after reports of a break-in. Police vehicles lined the street and a helicopter and a SWAT team also showed up.
One arrest was made, 20-year-old Oscar Marin. The owner of The Armory, Christopher Cook, was able to watch everything unfold through security cameras inside the store.
Despite the fact that only one man was arrested, Cook is convinced that others escaped, saying that the video (which has not been released) showed shadows of more than one person.
The Armory sustained extensive damages; "tens of thousands of dollars", according to Cook. Much of that was sustained when SWAT breached the building, effectively knocking the front wall down.
BPD says that the city will absorb the cost.
This attempted robbery comes just months after another attempted robbery at Second Amendment Sports resulted in a standoff with the Sheriff's Office. Those suspects were arrested as well.
As the owner of a gun store, Thome doesn't understand why criminals think they can get away with it.
"All the businesses are fortified," he said. "They all have security system cameras and stuff."
"If they think they're going to be able to get into a gun store and steal guns, it's not gonna happen. Especially in Bakersfield."
