A man has pleaded guilty in a daring scheme to steal 123 handguns by kidnapping the manager of a Michigan sporting goods store and coercing him at gunpoint to reveal how to deactivate the alarm system.
“Darnell Bishop’s audacious actions, if successful, would have inundated the streets of Benton Harbor and beyond with illegal firearms,” stated U.S. Attorney Mark Totten.
Mr. Bishop confessed to handcuffing and blindfolding the Dunham’s Sports manager at the victim’s residence last November, forcing him to disclose how to disable the alarm.
He then proceeded to the store with an accomplice, Dontrell Nance, where they stole two coolers, sunglasses, and the 123 guns, while Nance remained with the manager in a car. The theft was captured on store surveillance footage.
Mr. Bishop pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping and brandishing a firearm during a violent crime. Nance had previously pleaded guilty to the same charges in April. Both individuals could face life imprisonment.
One of the perpetrators was identified after attempting to transfer funds from the manager’s bank account using a cash app.
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The stolen firearms were valued at over $100,000, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. All weapons have since been recovered.
The Dunham’s store is located near Benton Harbor, approximately 100 miles (160.9 kilometers) east of Chicago.
