Two juveniles charged in Waukegan gun shop burglary

Two juveniles were arrested and charged with burglary after trying to rob a Waukegan gun shop twice in two days, authorities said.

Waukegan Police said an alarm tipped them off to a burglary at Schrank’s Smoke-N-Gun Shop in the 2000 block of Washington Street at 3:50 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

Cmdr. Gabe Guzman said officers arriving on the scene watched a survellience video after the robbery that showed a man wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans forcing his way inside the business, where he smashed open several display cases, and stole 18 handguns, two shotguns and numerous boxes of ammunition.

Through the investigation, Waukegan’s Gang Intelligence Unit discovered it was an unidentified 16-year-old juvenile who committed the crime, Guzman said. The gang unit executed a search warrant at the man’s home in the 0 to 100 block of North Victory Street just after midnight on Oct. 31, Guzman said, but the juvenile was not home at the time.

About three hours later, members of the Waukegan Investigations Unit were on surveillance at the gun shop when officers observed a minivan pull into the parking lot and drive to the rear of the business, Guzman said.

The officers tried to confront the driver, but he attempted to flee, crashed the van into the building and a grass embankment and attempted to run, Guzman said.

He was found a short time later in a nearby apartment, and taken into custody, Guzman said.

The juvenile driver was interviewed by police and admitted to breaking into the gun shop, then turned in a second 16-year-old juvenile from Waukegan who served as lookout, Guzman said.

The police department recovered 13 of the stolen handguns and one of the stolen shotguns, he said. The investigation is ongoing with the help of the FBI and ATF.