Arrests in theft of 111 handguns from Springfield Smith & Wesson plant

STRATFORD, Conn. (WWLP) - Police in southern Connecticut have arrested a truck driver who they say stole more than 100 handguns from Smith & Wesson’s Springfield factory.

Stratford Police announced that they arrested Elliot Perez and Michael Murphy over the weekend.

According to a news release sent to 22News by Stratford Police, on November 8, Perez allegedly stole 111 handguns from the Springfield plant, and drove them on his tractor trailer down to Bridgeport. There, he and Murphy allegedly sold an unknown number of the guns on the street.

So far, police have only been able to recover 28 of the stolen guns.

Perez, an employee of Pace Motor Lines in Stratford, is being charged with 111 counts of criminal possession of a firearm, 111 counts of theft of a firearm, five counts of having a weapon in a motor vehicle, and one count each of illegal sale of a firearm and transfer of a firearm by a person ineligible to possess same. He was arraigned in court on Monday, and is being held on $500,000 bond.

Murphy is charged with theft of a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm, and carrying a pistol without a permit. He was released on $10,000 bond, and will be back in court on December 6.

If you have any information that can help in the investigation, call Stratford Police at (203) 385-4119 or the crime tip hotline at (203) 375-TIPS. You can also call the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives at (203) 773-2060.