Cops: Pair of felons posted Facebook photos posing with assault rifle The photos were taken at a Bellevue gun range, reports say

A pair of 24-year-old felons with multiple convictions were arrested last week after photos of themselves holding assault rifles were posted to Facebook, according to Seattle police. A pair of 24-year-old felons with multiple convictions were arrested last week after photos of themselves holding assault rifles were posted to Facebook, according to Seattle police. Photo: Facebook Photo: Facebook Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Cops: Pair of felons posted Facebook photos posing with assault rifle 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A pair of 24-year-old felons with multiple convictions were arrested last week after photos of themselves holding assault rifles were posted to Facebook, according to Seattle police.

The photos were taken at a Bellevue firing range and another felon, 22, is believed to have joined one of them on at least one occasion.

The social media photos led police to learn that the 24-year-old men appeared to have visited and used several guns at the firing range during a string of visits between August and November, defying court orders not to possess firearms as a result of their felony histories.

A federal agent with the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives department found a Facebook profile photo of one of the 24-year-old men holding a black AK-47 style rifle and brought it to the attention of a Seattle gang unit detective who works with federal agents Dec. 12.

The Seattle detective believed the man in the photo to be someone with seven felony convictions, including residential burglary and vehicle theft. The birth date listed in the man's Facebook profile matched that of the felon he believed him to be, police reports indicate.

The detective also believed the photo was taken at Wade's Eastside Guns in Bellevue.

Federal agents spoke to an employee at Wade's Eastside Guns, who confirmed that the 24-year-old in the photo had been to the firing range on several occasions, sometimes with another 24-year-old man with a felony history and once with a 22-year-old with several felony convictions.

Employees provided investigators with receipts showing the men's rentals and purchases from the firing range between August and November. While they sometimes rented firearms from the range, it appears they also brought their own guns to the range during other visits, police reports indicate.

As part of the rental agreement, the men signed a contract indicating they are legally allowed to possess firearms and that they have no criminal convictions or pending charges.

Detectives believe both 24-year-old men posted photos of an AK-47 style rifle on Facebook. They claim they both possessed at least seven different firearms in the 2 1/2-month window they investigated.

The 24-year-old men and the 22-year-old are known associates of the East Union Street Hustler gang, according to police reports.

Officers found the 24-year-old men in an idling car in Burien. One of them admitted to visiting Wade's Eastside Guns with the other man, renting guns and taking photos with the AK-47, reports say.

The 22-year-old man has not yet been arrested in the matter, jail records indicate, but he was arrested in September for investigation of robbery.