A man smashed his way into a Pleasant Grove gun shop early Sunday, but fled empty-handed when the store's alarm sounded.

Sunday's burglary was the fifth break-in at Pleasant Grove Gun Supply since 2013, and the second in six months.

The latest happened about 2 a.m. when police say a man driving a mid-2000s white Chevrolet Tahoe used a sledgehammer to knock a hole in the back wall at the shop. Once he entered the store, said Pleasant Grove police Lt. Danny Reid, it appears he was spooked by the alarm and fled.

There were no guns missing after Sunday's break-in, however 47 guns have been stolen from the store over the past four years. Of those, 24 have been recovered and 23 are still on the streets somewhere.

"Guns are a valuable commodity on the street,'' Reid said. "Where a criminal can't legally buy a firearm, they will steal them themselves or buy them from those who have."

Efforts to reach the store owner, Mike Maddox, for comment were unsuccessful.

In July, a group of teens kicked in the back door at Pleasant Grove Gun Supply about 11:30 p.m. on a Tuesday. The alarm sounded, and Pleasant Grove police responded to the scene. As officers arrived, they saw the suspects fleeing the store. The group tried to get into their getaway vehicle, but one officer disable the SUV with his police cruiser and took the driver into custody. The other suspects fled.

Jefferson County sheriff's deputies responded to the scene to assist, and police brought Donaldson Correctional Facility tracking dogs to the scene. At least three teens were arrested in that break-in. Seven guns and ammunition were taken, but all were recovered.

Just weeks prior to the July incident, police believe the store was targeted by the same thieves who stole more than 40 weapons from a Tuscaloosa gun shop. That break-in was thwarted by passerby who was on his way to work.

The last successful break-in at Pleasant Grove Gun Supply happened in May 2015 when thieves again used a sledgehammer to smash their way into the store. In that burglary, they broke the front windows to gain entry and were in and out of the store in 40 seconds. Prior to that, the store was burglarized on Dec.4, 2013 when the thieves again bashed in the store's front glass door and took and undisclosed amount of weapons. That burglary took place about midnight.

Previously, the store was burglarized on Sept. 24, 2013. In that case, four men were arrested and eventually sentenced to federal prison.

Anyone who can identify the suspect or has information on the white Chevrolet Tahoe or the crime is asked to call Reid at 205-744-1735.