2 Brothers, 14 And 11, Accused Of Stealing 22 Guns In Florida: Police

CAPE CORAL, FL — Two brothers, ages 14 and 11, are accused of breaking into a Cape Coral gun shop and stealing 22 guns along with ammunition early Wednesday, according to the Cape Coral Police Department.

The brothers are each charged with 22 counts of grand theft of a firearm and one count of armed burglary, criminal mischief, resisting arrest without violence, grand theft and possession of burglary tools. The older brother was additionally charged with violation of his probation, police said.

The brothers broke into Guns 4 Less on Del Prado Boulevard around 3 a.m. Wednesday, according to authorities.

The owner received an alert and was able to remotely access security cameras showing the two boys inside the shop before she called 911. The brothers thought they had cut the power but were unsuccessful before they broke in through the back door, Cape Coral Police Department spokesperson Master Sergeant Julie Green said.

Police found them fleeing the store armed with multiple handguns, long guns, magazines and ammunition. They soon dropped the guns because of their weight and fled in opposite directions. The older brother kept a pistol as he fled police but later dropped it as well. Both boys were located near the store and arrested, Green said.

Investigators found the brothers had broken display cases and "ransacked" the store during the break-in. All stolen items were recovered, according to Green.

The afternoon prior to the break-in, the two had entered the store and looked around before being asked to leave by the owner, according to police.

The older brother is on probation in connection with robbery with a weapon, burglary and criminal mischief charges. He had also been previously arrested after being accused of making threats with a weapon to another student over social media, Green said.

Detectives are looking into links between the brothers and other crimes in the area, according to Green.

The break-in occurred after two high-profile mass shootings at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and a supermarket in a predominately Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, in recent weeks.

Victims and families of those shootings testified this week before Congress in a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on gun violence.