Deputies found guns stashed in unfinished walls and board game boxes during a raid on a booze-drenched birthday party for a 17-year-old credit card thief in Minnesota. (Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)
An alleged 17-year-old credit card thief unwittingly led deputies to his booze-drenched birthday party at an Airbnb in a Minnesota suburb, where authorities say they found 11 guns stashed in walls, fast food wrappers, purses and even board game boxes.
In a Facebook post, Ramsey County Undersheriff Mike Martin described the raid as an “Airbnb turned into machinegunbnb” and said some of the weapons found had devices that made them fully automatic. The guns were stashed in backpacks and purses and hidden in unfinished walls, over furnaces, and behind TVs and couches, the sheriff’s office said.
One was hidden in a Heads Up! game box, and another in a McDonald’s bag on the kitchen counter, authorities said.
Several of these guns had extended magazines and “auto sears” or “switches” used to convert regular handguns into machine guns capable of firing 33 rounds in less than two seconds.
“This is especially concerning to us because several party attendees are part of a ‘group’ with enemies – or, as they call them, ‘opps,’” the post said.
It started on Saturday when deputies tracked a credit card theft suspect making an illegal purchase at a Target to a late-night party at a rental in Shoreview outside Minneapolis, officials said. Police said they tracked him from surveillance video and photos by a witness showing him and a cohort breaking into a car and fleeing.
Investigators recognized the suspect and put together a case. Authorities said they learned that on Saturday, the 17-year-old suspect was going to have a birthday party at an Airbnb.
The homeowner told deputies there were only supposed to be up to 10 people at the location, and no weapons and no smoking were allowed.
“And they had been posting pictures on social media of themselves with weapons and smoking,” Martin said.
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There were about 50 people at the party, so the owner told authorities to shut it down.
Deputies searched the partygoers as they left the house to ensure they had no illegal guns and were advised to leave them in the house if they did.
After they left, the suspect was taken into custody, and deputies searched the rental. Officials said they were obtaining fingerprints and DNA from the guns and were working to trace them back to their sources. They will test-fire the weapons and enter the data into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) to determine whether the guns have been used in other crimes.
“The best part is we got 11 guns off the street that won’t shoot somebody, kill somebody you know or be used for robbery or anything else,” Martin said.
To the suspect who led them there, Martin wished him a happy birthday.
“And I’m glad we could share it with you,” he said.
Airbnb said in a statement that the host was not aware of the party and did not authorize it.
“Unauthorized and disruptive parties are banned on Airbnb, and our Safety team has removed the booking guest from the platform,” the statement said. “We are supporting our Host, including through AirCover, and we stand ready to assist the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office as they investigate.”
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