2 men charged with break-in at firearms training school in Holliston

Two men have been arrested and charged in connection with a break-in last month at a firearms school in Holliston, authorities said.

Jason Liberis, 18, of Oxford, and Bryan Ayala Perez, 18, of Johnston, R.I., have each been charged with breaking and entering in the nighttime, breaking and entering from a firearms dealer, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a large capacity weapon, and conspiracy, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Holliston Police Chief Matthew Stone.

Liberis was arrested Friday morning in Oxford and arraigned in Framingham District Court, where he was ordered held pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Monday, the DA’s office said in a statement. Ayala Perez was arrested in Palm Springs, Fla., and will be arraigned “subject to extradition to Massachusetts.”

The two men allegedly broke into Mass Firearms School, which teaches firearms training classes and is the largest firearms school in the state, according to the school’s website. The school also includes a retail store and indoor shooting range.

Officers responded to the school Oct. 30 shortly before 11:30 p.m. for a report of a breaking and entering in progress, the DA’s office said. Video surveillance indicated three people were in and around the building, and two of them were in the firearms retail store.

The surveillance footage allegedly showed three suspects dressed in dark clothing and wearing masks stealing two semi-automatic rifles before fleeing in a four-door sedan, according to the DA’s office. A further investigation allegedly revealed that Liberis and Ayala Perez were two of the three suspects, according to officials.

Liberis, Ayala Perez, and the third suspect allegedly traveled to the school in a car that Ayala Perez stole from a convenience store parking lot in Johnston, R.I., the DA’s office said. When they arrived at the store, Ayala Perez allegedly kept watch outside while Liberis and the third suspect broke in and stole the assault rifles, according to officials.

The stolen firearms have not yet been recovered, according to authorities. The DA’s office, the involved police departments, Massachusetts State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Homeland Security Investigations are continuing to investigate the incident.