Thieves steal $20,000 in guns from Sumter store in 4 minutes

Authorities say two thieves stole about $20,000 in guns from a Sumter store in a well-planned heist that took less than four minutes.

Sumter County sheriff’s spokesman Ken Bell told media outlets that the men broke the lock on the door of Tony’s Gun Shop around 2 a.m. Friday. The store is at 4308 Broad St., across from Shaw Air Force Base.

Video surveillance shows one thief smashing display cases with a hammer while a second thief scooped up handguns and threw them into a bag.

Bell says deputies arrived four minutes after the alarm sounded when the lock was broken, but the thieves were gone and tracking dogs couldn’t find their scent.

Federal agents are helping with the investigation.

This story was originally published August 6, 2016 at 1:13 PM with the headline "Thieves steal $20,000 in guns from Sumter store in 4 minutes."