MEMPHIS, Tenn. — For the third time this year, guns were stolen from a Walmart.
This time, police say two guys got away after smashing a glass case, stealing an assault rifle and running out the Walmart on Germantown Parkway.
Security cameras capture clear images of the two thieves who police say came into Walmart with one thing on their minds: guns.
Police say one man distracted a worker in the sporting goods department, while the other broke the glass on a gun case and took an assault rifle.
Both ran out the store and down Germantown Parkway.
“Security must be lax,” said shopper Peter Smith.
Walmart has already stepped up security at the Cordova Walmart after seven guns were stolen in February.
A Walmart was also hit up for two guns in January.
But it’s not just Walmart – burglars stole 15 rifles just a few days ago from a gun shop in Germantown.
“The gun issues are real serious right now Memphis,” said Delvin Lane, the leader of the 901 Bloc Squad, a group formed by Memphis’ Mayor to help stop gun violence.
Lane, who helps the city fight crime by working with violent youth on the street, says as a former criminal, he knows how they’re getting their guns.
“I know how they get them. I know how I used to get them when I was on the street: breaking into cars, breaking into houses, breaking into pawnshops.”
He says stores can prevent thefts by adding alarms and homeowners can lock up their guns but Lane says not much is going to change unless the criminals change their way of thinking.
“A lot of guys live by the gun. That is how they eat. We are trying to change that mentality.”
For now, he says the reality is that young people are trying to get access to bigger and bigger guns to keep up with others that they see on the street.
He says it’s why Memphis is seeing thefts like these where criminals are shoving assault rifles down their pants.
Police say one of the suspects in this latest theft appeared to have a GPS angle bracelet on his right leg.
If you think you know who these guys are, call Crimestoppers at 528-CASH