Police in Texas are appealing for help to find a gang of at least 10 thieves who broke into a gun shop and made off with 50 weapons in a matter of moments.
Crime Stoppers released videos showing the extraordinary raid, in which the men used a Chevrolet SUV to wrench the entire door and security grill out of its frame.
With the shop front out of the way, the gang flooded into the store, and all made their way straight to the most expensive handguns and rifles kept behind the counter.
The raid took place at around 4.30am on Tuesday at a shop on South Wilcrest Drive in Houston, police said.
The men come and go in under three minutes – and CCTV footage from five different angles shows just how carefully coordinated the raid was.
Once inside the store, a single suspect can be seen going along the display case breaking each glass pane with a hammer. He leaves it to others to scoop up the handguns into bags they have brought with them.
Other thieves leave the store with their arms full of large rifles, even dropping some in their rush to get out. According to police, the gang drove away together before exchanging vehicles one block away in a bid to evade capture.
Houston police have launched what US media described as a “massive manhunt” to find the 10 or more men involved, and the authorities are offering $5,000 for information which leads to arrests.
Robert Elder, special agent in charge in the Houston office of the U.S.Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, told Good Morning America there were concerns the weapons could be used to commit further crimes.
Mr Elder said: “What it potentially means is that you have got that many people distributing firearms in the streets of Houston.”
