Tyjuan McNeal, aged 27, entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court concerning the December 2023 burglary involving the theft of 34 firearms from a Maryland pawn shop. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
McNeal admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking. Judge Amy Berman Jackson has scheduled his sentencing for June 17, 2025.
Court documents reveal that on December 13, 2023, McNeal and at least four accomplices traveled from Washington, D.C., to A&D Pawn Shop in Glen Burnie, Maryland. McNeal was wearing an ankle monitor covered with aluminum foil during the incident.
At the scene, one accomplice used a portable saw to breach the locks on a security gate while another used a crowbar-like tool to open the main door. Inside the shop, they took various rifles, shotguns, and pistols before escaping with at least 34 firearms. The stolen weapons were later advertised for sale on social media platforms.
McNeal's arrest occurred on March 22, 2024; he was found with a Glock 29, 10 mm pistol and has remained detained since then. Co-defendants Vincent Lee Alston and Niquan Odum both pleaded guilty on March 6, 2025. Alston faced charges related to conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking while Odum faced charges for conspiracy to commit theft from a firearms licensee and possession of stolen firearms. Another co-defendant Juwon Markel Anderson also pleaded guilty on March 4 to conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking.
The case is under investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives along with the Metropolitan Police Department. They received assistance from ATF Baltimore Field Division and are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar alongside Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Lipes.
