SAN ANTONIO — Twelve people were arrested and about 200 guns seized in the San Antonio area Tuesday as part of Operation Texas Kill Switch, a federal crackdown on stolen firearms and those selling them on the street, often newly outfitted with devices that turn them into fully automatic weapons.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza announced the arrests Wednesday alongside Robert Topper, a special agent in charge at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), as the culmination of a yearlong investigation into machine gun conversion devices, which Topper said are often illegally created at home. Thirteen locations in the Alamo City and one in McAllen were visited by agents Tuesday—including the north-side neighborhood where a suspect was killed when ATF said he "pointed a firearm at the search team."
The man killed was identified in a federal indictment as 22-year-old Sina Chohili Sobby.
The dozen people now in custody range in age from 18 to 43 years old, and their charges vary from firearms trafficking and possession of a machine gun to dealing firearms with a license and possessing an unregistered firearm. Some of the suspects face up to 15 years if convicted.
Sixty-one machine gun conversation devices, or "switches," were recovered in the Tuesday round-up, and authorities said six recovered guns have already been connected to shootings in San Antonio.
"San Antonio, like other major cities in the U.S., is working to reduce gun violence. Part of the solution is to ensure firearms don't make it into the hands of prohibited possessors," Topper said, adding that 39 guns seized by law enforcement Tuesday were reported stolen, though that number is likely higher due to unreported thefts.
At around 6 a.m. Tuesday, agents executed an arrest warrant at Sobby's apartment. He was fatally shot in the process. Records show he was wanted for gun trafficking, possessing a machine gun and possessing unregistered guns
Asked about further specifics Wednesday, Esparza only confirmed the attempted-arrest-turned-shooting was connected to Operation Texas Kill Switch.
"But all I can tell you is that, for the moment, it is under investigation and we don’t have any further comment," he added.
The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) and U.S. Marshals assisted in Tuesday's arrests.
'Adds to the unpredictability'
Esparza and Topper also used Wednesday's news conference to remind San Antonio gun owners about their role to play in keeping stolen guns out of criminals' hands.
Firearms, they said, aren't safe even in locked cars, which wrongdoers know how to access.
"A locked car is not a secure car, especially when we’re talking about firearms," Esparza said. "If you have a gun stolen from your vehicle, chances are the thieves who stole it are using it in their own violent crimes or putting it on the marketplace to make a profit.
The warning echoes pleas from SAPD officials not to leave guns in cars, whether they're at home or at a store.
Topper also said, as police officials have in the past, that it's important for gun owners to know their firearm's serial number and other information which makes it easier for law enforcement to investigate thefts, and potentially return their guns to them.
Esparza said more than 1,100 guns have been stolen in the Alamo City so far this year, amounting to more than 20 a day. It's common, Topper added, that those who steal firearms will install a switch before using or selling them; the devices make shooting less accurate, putting others in harm's way.
“That adds a danger, that adds to the unpredictability of the weapons."