Both men were arrested the same day.
Martinsburg, WV. (From the Berkley County Sheriff’s Office)– “On 2/16/24 at 10:00 am, Deputy N. Webb responded to Ray’s Guns on Tabler Station Road in Martinsburg for a reported breaking and entering. Upon arrival, Deputy Webb found that two males had attempted to break into the gun shop earlier that morning at approximately 5:45 am. After reviewing video of the incident, Deputy Webb observed that the two males pried the front door open with a crowbar and screwdriver, but fled after an audible alarm was activated. The video also showed that the males were driving a red in color Jeep Patriot with a Maryland registration plate. After checking DMV files on the Maryland registration, Deputy Webb was told that the plate was stolen from Howard County, MD and should have been displayed on a 2013 Chevrolet. Deputy Webb also observed that one suspect was a black male, while the other was a white male.
At approximately 3:00 pm, Deputy Webb and other patrol units responded to a disturbance in progress call at Melville Drive in Inwood. After arriving on scene, Deputy Webb observed a red in color Jeep Patriot sitting in the driveway of the residence. He saw that the vehicle was bearing the same Maryland registration as the vehicle was at the attempted breaking and entering at Ray’s Guns. Once contact was made with the occupants of the residence, Deputy Webb observed two males who matched the description of the two males who had attempted to break into Ray’s Guns. He also noticed that they were still wearing the same clothes that they had been wearing in the video from Ray’s Guns.
The males were identified as Dontraz Johnson (23 years of age) and David Taylor (23 years of age), both from Baltimore, MD. Johnson and Taylor were then taken into custody for the attempted breaking and entering at Ray’s Guns. Deputy Webb then checked the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the Jeep that they had been driving. He was notified by dispatch that the Jeep was reported as having been stolen from Howard County, MD. A search warrant was later executed at the residence, where a crowbar and screwdriver were recovered.
If these two suspects had been successful at breaking into the gun shop, those stolen guns would be sold on the street and more than likely used in other crimes. Even though they were unsuccessful, there’s a good chance they would have tried to break into other gun shops so that those guns could be taken back to Baltimore. Deputy Webb’s excellent observation skills took these two criminals off the streets.”
