ST. LOUIS – A Fredericktown, Missouri, man is in custody after St. Louis police say he stole a gun and other items from the SWAT bunker at police headquarters.
Alexander Johnston, 25, is accused of slipping under a gate at the police headquarters parking garage downtown on April 21. Police say he was seen leaving with two duffle bags. Stolen items included a shotgun, shotgun shells, a starter pistol, and a multi-launcher.
“We are looking at every aspect at how this burglary happened and what additional safeguards need to be implemented to ensure that something like this never happens again,” Lt. Col. Renee Kriesmann, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, said.
Most of the items were recovered in Crystal City, but the multi-launcher is still missing.
“While the multi-launcher has not been recovered yet, a civilian is unable to purchase any of the components to utilize the multi-launcher,” SLMPD Director of Public Affairs Mitch McCoy said.
A multi-launcher is a weapon used to fire beanbags and other non-lethal devices.
“The only use we have of it is just for the introducing of crowd control rounds or something like that,” Maj. Michael Mueller, SLMPD, said.
Johnston is facing several charges including burglary and stealing. He has prior arrests for burglary and stealing in Jefferson and Franklin counties.