Pair accused in Tulsa gun shop robbery face federal charges
TULSA — Federal prosecutors charged two people on allegations they drove a stolen SUV through a strip mall into a gun shop and stole nearly a dozen firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Anthony Martinez, 44, and Shannon Lee Fryman, 37, allegedly drove a stolen Chevrolet TrailBlazer in reverse through an exterior wall and two interior walls to reach Action Arms, 5333 S Mingo Road, in Tulsa.
U.S. District Court prosecutors charged Martinez and Fryman on Nov. 17 with conspiracy, felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, possession of stolen firearms and ammunition, and theft from a licensed firearms dealer, according to court records unsealed Monday.
Fryman and Martinez, who was allegedly driving, loaded at least 11 rifles and five boxes of ammunition into the TrailBlazer.
Fryman and Martinez spent “approximately a minute in the store removing the rifles from a display wall and loading them into the stolen Chevy TrailBlazer,” Tulsa Police Detective G. Mitchell states in a probable cause affidavit.
Police later located the vehicle in the 5400 block of South 99th East Avenue. Its steering column had been popped open and its license tag belonged to a different vehicle, police said.
Fryman and Martinez allegedly loaded the stolen goods into a white minivan. During the police investigation, officers located business surveillance video showing a minivan leave that area shortly after the SUV was abandoned.
Police found a box of ammunition in the SUV’s cargo area, according to the criminal complaint from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent Lucas Keck. Interior door panels and the back hatch glass had been removed.
Anonymous tips sent to Tulsa police allegedly identified Fryman and Martinez as the two burglars. Police located and arrested Fryman on Nov. 13.
Fryman admitted to detectives that she stole the TrailBlazer, planned the burglary with Martinez and accompanied him during the burglary, according to Keck’s statement.
Detectives said the investigation led to a Broken Arrow pawnshop. Fryman and Martinez reportedly had pawned items at that shop in late October while in possession of the SUV.
Another tip alerted police that Martinez had returned to the pawnshop on Nov. 13, where police arrested him.
Martinez was allegedly in possession of 6 grams of methamphetamine. Investigators said that during a search of the vehicle he was driving, they found four rifles from Action Arms and a handgun.
Martinez and Fryman are being held in Tulsa Jail at the request of various federal law enforcement agencies.
Martinez has previous convictions in Pontotoc County for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, manufacture of a controlled substance and distribution of a controlled substance, according to state Corrections Department records.
Fryman has previous convictions in Rogers and Tulsa counties for distribution of a controlled substance, uttering forged instruments, possession of a credit card belonging to another and possession of a controlled substance, according to Corrections Department records.