ST. LOUIS—A St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department internal review is underway as authorities investigate how a suspect was able to access a SWAT weapons bunker in the department’s parking garage and steal a rifle, ammunition, a starter’s pistol and other items.

Authorities arrested and charged Alexander Johnston, of Union, with felony burglary, stealing, and unlawful possession of firearms. The incident occurred April 21 when police say surveillance video captured Johnston running underneath the gate to the parking garage located at the department’s headquarters at 19th and Olive.

With the exception of a launcher used to propel non-lethal rounds like bean bags, police say all of the other items taken have been recovered, and that they don’t believe the weapons or ammunition that was taken were used.

“No civilian can buy the components to this and so this is a useless tool to an individual,” police spokesperson Mitch McCoy said of what’s known as a multi-launcher. “I would highly recommend to the person that has it, to go ahead and call police headquarters, let them know they have it, they probably don’t even know that they have what they have, probably don’t even know that it belongs to the police department and so it would be in their best interest to return it.”

McCoy said they don’t believe Johnston had components to make the multi-launcher functional.

Police confirm the bunker is normally locked, but wouldn’t say how many people have access to it and if that access is individually coded. 

“We are looking at every aspect of how this burglary happened, and what additional safeguards need to be implement to be able to ensure that something like this never happens again, said
Lt. Col. Renee Kriesmann, commander of SLMPD’s Bureau of operations.

Johnston remains in jail without bond.