Lynchburg Police say two men are charged with stealing a dozen handguns overnight from W and W Novelty on Lakeside Drive. Police say officers spotted Tyler Bivins of Lynchburg and Wilbert Butler of Madison Heights walking along the roadway shortly after the one a.m. burglary. The pair allegedly took off on foot but were both arrested a short time later, one with the help of a police dog. Officials say all the stolen handguns were recovered.
NEWS RELEASE: The Lynchburg Police Department has arrested two individuals in connection with a burglary at W&W Novelty last night.
On January 7, 2020 at 1:01 a.m., officers responded to a police alarm in the 2300-block of Lakeside Drive. They arrived and found the front door glass broken as well as several items missing from the business.
While officers were investigating, two males were spotted walking down Lakeside Drive. When officers attempted to stop them, the suspects ran and engaged officers in a foot pursuit. An officer was able to detain one suspect and a K9 was able to detain the second suspect after tracking him. The two suspects stole 12 handguns from the business and officers recovered all 12 handguns.
Tyler Bivins, 20, of Lynchburg, is charged with burglary at night, felony property damage, possession of burglary tools, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, nine counts of possession of a concealed weapon, and nine counts of grand larceny of a firearm.
Wilbert Butler, 22, of Madison Heights, is charged with burglary at night, felony property damage, possession of burglary tools, three counts of possession of a concealed weapon, three counts grand larceny of a firearm, and three counts of attempted grand larceny of a firearm.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Det. C. Davis at (434) 455-6166 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 798-5900. Enter an anonymous tip online at http://p3tips.com or use the P3 app on a mobile device.