Hans Mikaele Wells, Stealing Firearms, Alaska 2022

State: Alaska
Category: Violent Crime
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ak/pr/anchorage-man-sentenced-nine-years-stealing-22-guns" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

Anchorage man Hans Mikaele Wells, 26, also known as ‘Mika,’ was sentenced to 9 years in federal prison for stealing 22 firearms from an Anchorage gun store in 2019.

The crime occurred on June 6, 2019, at Granny’s Guns, a federally licensed firearms dealer located in Anchorage. According to court documents, Wells and three co-conspirators broke into the building and stole the firearms.

Wells and the co-conspirators used multiple stolen vehicles during the crime, including a Chevy Trailblazer, a Chevy Suburban, and a GMC Denali. They also set fire to a GMC Sierra pickup in an effort to destroy evidence.

Later that day, officers with the Anchorage Police Department attempted to stop the GMC Denali and an associated gold pickup, but multiple shots were fired from the gold pickup, occupied by Wells and a co-conspirator.

Wells and two others attempted to recover an impounded vehicle containing one of the stolen firearms on June 18, 2019. All four co-conspirators were indicted in October 2020 and subsequently arrested.

The case was investigated by the Anchorage Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Ivers prosecuted the case.

U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska stated, ‘Stolen firearms are a threat to the safety of all Alaskans. The blatant disregard for public safety and law enforcement both during and after this series of violent crimes by Wells and his co-conspirators show just how dangerous they are to our community.’

Co-conspirators Muna Junior Rode, Gian Carlo Pangilinan, and Kao Chiang Saelee are awaiting sentencing for their roles in the crime.

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