Two Arrested After Gun Store Standoff

GASTONIA, NC– Two thieves break into a Mount Holly gun shop in the early morning hours.

One armed suspect barricaded himself inside the business.. Bringing out the SWAT team for a tense standoff.

Jaah’Kii Harris and Trey Davis are both in custody tonight, facing several charges.

Mount holly police responded to a breaking and entering in progress call at the Mount Holly Gun and Pawn about 4:30 this morning. When the officers arrived, they found Harris leaving the store carrying trays of jewelry armed with a rifle.

Davis went back inside the store. The regional response SWAT team was called in.

Negotiators were eventually able to contact Davis’ family then get him to surrender peacefully after a five-hour standoff.

“We attempt to make contact with the family so was can get some information as to the state of affairs, the nature and condition of the people we’re dealing with,” said Captain Edward Turas of the Gastonia Police Department. “Actually find out what people we are dealing with. Get identities clarified.”

No one was injured during the standoff. Both suspects were taken to the Gaston County Jail and are being held on bond. Davis also has outstanding warrants from prior charges.

The increase in gun store robberies in the Charlotte area may be a reaction to the number of guns CMPD is taking off the streets, increasing the street value of stolen guns.

The number of guns seized by police has gone up every year since 2011, and 2016 is trending up again. CMPD has seized more than 74-hundred guns in the last five years.