DNA helped Morgan Hill Police officers identify and arrest a
suspect in the burglary of a gun shop Tuesday, according to MHPD
Cmdr. Joe Sampson.
Morgan Hill – DNA helped Morgan Hill Police officers identify and arrest a suspect in the burglary of a gun shop Tuesday, according to MHPD Cmdr. Joe Sampson.
Officers took Peter Russenoff, 19, of Morgan Hill, into custody on the DeAnza College campus, Sampson said.
Russenoff is a suspect in the April 15 robbery of Gunworks, Inc., located on West Second Street at Del Monte Avenue.
Officers responded in the early morning hours to a report from the business next door that someone was moving around in the store, possibly in the attic.
Sampson said there was likely at least one other person involved in the burglary, one perhaps acting as lookout.
The suspects were gone when police arrived, leaving behind a beanie and a backpack containing 29 guns.
“(Russenoff’s) DNA matched some of the items that were found inside the building that he said he hadn’t been in,” Sampson said.
Detectives hope Russenoff can give them information about who else was allegedly involved in the burglary, he added.
Sampson praised the department’s detectives for their work on the case.
“They have done solid work on this case, as they have a series of other cases, talking to witnesses, collecting information, following leads; they want to close these cases,” he said.
Before the April 15 robbery, the store had not been burglarized for more than 10 years, Sampson said.
