Group linked to pair of thefts earlier this month
Police arrested eight individuals yesterday for burglary attempts and conspiracy at Bear Down Gym, 1428 E. University Blvd., and connected the group with two burglaries earlier this month.
Someone called the University of Arizona Police Department and reported suspicious activity at the gym and police found the individuals under the stairwell shortly before 1 a.m. at the UA ROTC area, said Sgt. Eugene Mejia, UAPD spokesman.
Police do not know how the men got into the building, reports stated.
Police found the individuals used two vehicles to get to Bear Down Gym and on the backseat of one car was a loaded AK-47 rifle, Mejia said.
The ROTC is property of the Department of Defense so FBI agents assisted police with the investigation.
Each individual was arrested and charged with attempted burglary. None of the suspects were listed in the UA phonebook and Mejia did not know if any of them attended the university.
Four of the men were age 18 or older, so they were booked to Pima County Jail, and the other four were minors and were sent to the Juvenile Detention Center.
Zachary Morales, 18, Sterling Lytle, 18, Randy Samaiel, 19, and Kyle Gianquinto, 18, were taken to jail and each was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit burglary, reports stated.
Morales, Lytle and Gianquinto were also charged with contributing to the delinquency of minors, reports stated.
In addition, Lytle was charged with criminal damage, reports stated.
Two of the four minors were charged with possession of burglary tools and another was charged with trafficking in stolen property.
Mejia said uniforms and practice rifles that were stolen on other dates were recovered in some of the arrestees' homes and cars.
On March 14, an employee reported two practice rifles and uniforms were stolen from the gym when it was open to the public.
On March 18, someone forced into the building and stole miscellaneous military items.
Police do not know how much the recovered items were valued at, Mejia said.