Three teenagers and one adult have been charged in a string of burglaries and attempted burglaries of gun shops in Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties between December and March.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown on Tuesday said that over the course of three successful burglaries, the group stole at least 81 firearms and 10 firearm replicas from gun stores. Law enforcement officials also said the group tried to steal from seven other stores.
The four charged are Cy’juan Hemsley, 19, from District Heights; Mahkiya McQuinn-Woodley, 20, from Baltimore; an unnamed 17-year-old from Temple Hills; and an unnamed 16-year-old from Upper Marlboro.
All four are being charged as adults and all four are being held without bail, according to the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.
Online court records did not show the cases against Hemsley and McQuinn-Woodley as of Tuesday afternoon. It was not immediately clear if either had legal representation.
The group would break into gun stores using a pry bar or a circular saw, according to the indictment released Tuesday, and flee if they were unable to get into the shop or if an alarm sounded.
After successful burglaries, the group would “brag” and “show off” on social media, posting about the firearms on Instagram and YouTube, according to the indictment. Two unnamed minors posted photos on their feeds and stories with Hemsley, often with multiple firearms. according to the charging documents.
One of the minors also used Instagram to sell the firearms, despite one of them saying they had to “move smart” on the app, according to the indictment.
The group also often tried to break into several stores in one night, stealing as many as 35 firearms at a time. On Christmas Day, Hensley and two unnamed minors attempted to break into four stores in the Anne Arundel County area including one in Pasadena where the owner remotely activated an alarm, the indictment states.
A few days before New Year’s Eve, two unnamed minors, along with Hemsley and McQuinn-Woodley are accused of breaking into Haze Line Guns and stealing 10 airlift guns. They are also charged in a break-in at EJB’s Gunshop, where 46 firearms were stolen.
Of the stolen weapons, only six have been recovered, according to the attorney general’s office. All of the recovered firearms were with juveniles or people who were prohibited from possessing firearms.
Police arrested McQuinn-Woodley and Hemsley in January.
ATF Special Agent in Charge Toni Crosby said in a statement the investigation would be ongoing “until each and every stolen firearm is recovered.”
The cases are filed in Anne Arundel County.
This story has been updated to reflect the Christmas Day incidents in Anne Arundel County were attempted break-ins.
