Police suspect an arsenal of 130 guns and ammunition could be in the hands of bikie gangs after an elaborate heist on a Beckenham firearms shop on Wednesday night.
Thieves targeted Barry & Sons Firearms on Clapham Street around 5.45pm, stalking the 81-year-old gun shop owner as he locked up his shop.
The men allegedly kidnapped the elderly owner of a gunshop and forced him to open his weapons vault. Credit: WA Police
The men, inside a white Mercedes Sprinter or similar with stolen plates, allegedly followed the elderly man as he began to drive home and purposely rear-ended his vehicle at an intersection.
Pretending to exchange details, the men allegedly lured the owner into a laneway where they pulled out a weapon, tied him up with cable ties, put a hood over his head and bundled him into the van.
The masked group then made two trips back to the gun shop, allegedly forcing the owner to open his weapon vault.
WA Police Commissioner, Chris Dawson, claimed the group stole 100 handguns, 30 long arm firearms, including air pistols and shotguns.
"It is of serious concern because this has escalated beyond a burglary into a crime in the public domain involving an elderly man whose simply trying to run his business," he said.
"I could stand here and prophesise quite accurately, [the haul] will be distributed amongst bikie gangs and serious organised crime drug traffickers."
The van allegedly used in the heist. Credit: WA Police
The heist is the second time the Beckenham store has been targeted, with thieves stealing 175 guns in 2017.
Only 14 of those firearms were ever recovered, all found in the hands of bikie members.
WA Police are seeking dash-cam footage or any other images which may have been captured by members of the community who were in the vicinity of Clapham Street, Albany Highway or Kenwick Link in the hours preceding and following 5.45pm.
If members of the public wish to provide that footage please follow this link to upload it to WA Police.