Cleveland teen facing federal charges for smash and grab at Bath Township gun shop

BATH TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WOIO) - A Cleveland teenager is behind bars, he’s accused of being part of a trio that crashed a stolen car into a Bath Township gun shop back in November.

On Wednesday authorities arrested 19-year-old Zaveeyon Teasley for the brazen break-in and now we’re learning how investigators put the pieces together.

19 News learned that special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives worked closely with Bath Township police and Cleveland police to make this arrest.

“I think it’s great that we have the technology to track them down,” said Tim Ostrander Owner of Summit Armory.

“I think it was a lot easier than what was anticipated cause thank God for DNA.”

Surveillance video captured the three masked suspects when they rammed a stolen Kia through the front of the Summit Armory. They got away with 30 guns.

Owner of the Summit Armory Tim Ostrander is relieved this chapter is nearly behind him.

“I think it’s great that we have the technology to track them down as easy as it was,” Ostrander said. “I think it was a lot easier than what was anticipated cause thank God for DNA.”

According to a federal affidavit, just two days after the smash and grab Cleveland police found Teasley sleeping in another stolen car. Officers found a handgun and the registration number matched a gun stolen from the Summit Armory. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and receiving stolen property but he bonded out.

“It’s disgusting but that’s what society has glorified, and they make it as a rite of passage and they think that’s what they have to be,” said Ostrander. “They have to steal, and they have to have stuff and rob people and do that to get ahead in life when they really don’t.”

On December 21st Cleveland police responded to a call about three teens breaking into a car in steelyard commons. One of them was Teasley. His two accomplices were only 15 and 16. Police found another stolen armory gun on the 16-year-old.

The key to cracking this case was DNA. Authorities found DNA on a hammer used to smash a display case at the Armory. That was a match for the 16-year-old and DNA left on a lighter found inside the stolen Kia at the gun shop was a match for Teasley.

Another thing that gave the 19-year-old away was his unique sneakers. According to court documents, Teasley confessed to police that he was the person in the video and that the shoes they found at his house were the ones he had on during the break-in.

The Bath Police Chief told 19 News 16-year-old is in custody in Cuyahoga County on unrelated charges. He said they’re working with their juvenile prosecutor in Summit County to charge him for this crime.

The third suspect is named in the affidavit, 18-year-old Lawrence McKissic, but 19 News discovered he was shot and killed in the head by a 14-year-old at a drive-through in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood just two weeks after the smash and grab. Police said that the shooting was not connected and didn’t involve any guns stolen from the Summit Armory.

Ostrander said he wasn’t surprised by how young the suspects were.

“Not in the least bit from what it sounds like the youth that’s in that area doesn’t care about anything but themselves and making a name for themselves,” he said. “They don’t care about personal property, they don’t care about human lives.”

Ostrander replaced his broken glass cases but is still waiting on the glass to come so he can repair the damage to the front of his shop.

The Bath Police Chief Vito Sinopoli told 19 News so far, they’ve recovered 5 out of the 30 stolen guns and their mission now is to get all of those guns off the streets and out of the hands of criminals.

Copyright 2023 WOIO. All rights reserved.