Multiple Agencies Team-Up in Arrest of Alleged Grants Pass Gun Thief

Grants Pass, Oregon- On Wednesday, January 24th, Grants Pass Police Officers responded to an alarm at a Firearms Retail Store in the 200 block of Redwood Hwy, where they found the front doors smashed open and multiple firearms stolen. Surveillance footage revealed a white pickup truck crashing through the doors, and a lone suspect making off with the weapons. Grants Pass Police Detectives initiated an investigation.

The suspect’s image, captured on the store’s surveillance video, was distributed to local police, leading to a crucial tip from a Grants Pass Police School Marshall who had spotted someone matching the description at a local grocery store on the day of the burglary. Collaborative efforts by Grants Pass Detectives, Oregon State Police, Medford Police Detectives, the Rogue Area Drug Enforcement team, U.S. Marshals, and ATF successfully identified the suspect as 27-year-old Antone W. Bayard from Southern California, wanted for a parole violation warrant in Riverside County.

Bayard was traced to a VRBO rental on Willow Lane in Grants Pass, where he was apprehended this afternoon, January 26th, just after 3:00 pm, as SWAT members surrounded the residence. The suspect attempted to flee but was captured shortly thereafter.

Grants Pass Detectives are in the process of obtaining a search warrant for the VRBO rental, expressing confidence in recovering the stolen firearms. Willow Lane, temporarily closed for police action and community safety, has now been reopened.

The Grants Pass Police Department thanked the collaborating agencies and the local community for their support, understanding, and assistance throughout the investigation.