Indianapolis investigators say a 16-year-old tied to a string of business burglaries on the city’s northwest side is now in custody after officers tracked down a car and recovered four guns, including modified weapons, from the street. Officers found the car parked in the 5600 block of Dollar Forge Drive, near Mann Road and West Epler Avenue. Investigators found that two of the guns had undergone modifications using unlawful machine gun conversion equipment. A 14-year-old and three adult men were also apprehended as part of the same operation, which began after detectives sought surveillance leads and witness information.
According to WTHR, IMPD investigators commenced the investigation following a series of business break-ins that began in April. According to the station, investigators identified the 16-year-old using camera footage, witness testimony, and forensic evidence prior to carrying out the operation that resulted in the gun recovery. WTHR notes that preliminary allegations against the juveniles include possession of a machine gun and hazardous possession of a handgun by a minor, while numerous adults face preliminary machine-gun possession charges.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana says that conversion devices, often known as “Glock switches” or auto-sears, attach to semiautomatic handguns and potentially convert them into fully automatic weapons. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the small pieces of metal or plastic “are themselves considered machine guns under federal law,” and recent federal prosecutions in Indianapolis have explicitly targeted those found with the switches.
According to WTHR, IMPD officers identified the 16-year-old using surveillance video, witness statements, and forensic leads before tracking down and stopping a car in which four firearms were seized. According to the publication, two of those weapons were outfitted with conversion devices, and both adolescents and adults were arrested on preliminary drug and weapons charges.
Because of the firepower that converted handguns can unleash, federal and local officials have prioritized conversion device cases. Similar seizures in Indianapolis have resulted in both federal and state charges, and IMPD officials have praised task-force efforts with taking these guns out of neighborhoods. “We will never know what type of violence this investigation may have prevented,” Chief Randal Taylor stated in WRTV coverage.
The inquiry is still ongoing, and prosecutors will assess the case before making any formal filings. IMPD detectives are still following leads related to the burglary series and are requesting anyone with information to contact police.
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