Alleged Malvern Gun Shop Burglars Held On $250K Bail

MALVERN, PA – Two Chester County men are facing numerous felony charges after allegedly breaking into a Malvern gun store and stealing about 25 guns only to be caught hours later by police on Tuesday, May 15.

Shane Wolf, 23, of Downingtown, Pennsylvania and Taylor O’Brien, 22, of Malvern each are being held in the Chester County prison after failing to post $250,000 bail set at their May 15 preliminary arraignments, court records show.

Wolf and O'Brien are accused of breaking into Chester County Outdoors on Lancaster Avenue in Malvern at about 5 a.m. Tuesday.

Both men face two counts each of burglary, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, criminal trespassing, and criminal mischief, all of which are felonies. They have also been charged with two counts of possession of an instrument of crime, according to court records.

Wolf and O'Brien are set to appear for their preliminary hearings on May 25, court records show.

After breaking into the store, an alarm went off which led the men to flee the area, but East Whiteland Police said a Malvern Borough officer responding to a separate call saw them running across Route 30 and chased them to the General Warren Inn.

One suspect was arrested there but the other managed to escape. He was later found hiding under a residential deck and taken into custody after a few hours of searching.

East Whiteland Police said they are cross referencing the recovered guns and the store's inventory, as well as the guns' serial numbers to ensure all of the stolen firearms were recovered.

Police from Malvern, Tredyffrin, West Chester Emergency Response Team, Pennsylvania State Police, Amtrak Police, Chester County Detectives, and the Chester County Sheriff’s Office all aided in the search for the suspect, police said.

The burglary prompted schools in the area, including the Great Valley School District and St. Patrick School, to increase security measures until the suspects were caught.

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