Man charged in theft of more than 60 weapons in Independence gun store burglary

A Kansas City, Kan., man was charged Wednesday with helping to break into an Independence gun store and steal dozens of firearms.

Keyon D. Johnson, 21, was charged in federal court with stealing firearms from a licensed dealer and transporting stolen firearms across state lines.

There were 64 guns stolen in the Aug. 9 break-in at The Armory KC in the 10500 block of East U.S. 40, according to court documents.

Investigators recovered eight of those stolen weapons in a search of Johnson’s apartment after his arrest.

The store’s surveillance video system showed four burglars involved in the break-in. They attached a chain to a pick-up truck and yanked off the building’s front door. The truck was later reported stolen.

A juvenile was arrested driving the truck later that morning after attempting to flee from police.

Several days later, a tipster provided information about Johnson to agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Investigators began doing surveillance on homes associated with Johnson in Kansas City, Kan.

On Monday, officers tried to stop a vehicle seen leaving one of those addresses, but the driver fled.

That vehicle stopped near 45th Street and Lafayette Avenue and several occupants were seen running into a wooded area.

Officers found Johnson and arrested him. A 9mm handgun found on the ground near where he was arrested had been stolen in the Independence break-in.

Besides the stolen guns later found in Johnson’s apartment, agents also found a notebook describing how to commit a burglary like the one at the gun store.

The ATF announced a reward of up to $10,000 in the case. It was not known Wednesday if the tipster who told them about Johnson would receive any reward money.

Anyone with information should contact ATF at 1-800-ATF-GUNS (800-283-4867) or by email at ATFTips@atf.gov, at its website.