Story of At-Home Arsenal Is a ‘Hoo’-Done-It

Examples of .308 caliber ammunition, similar to the kind found in Hoo's home. Photo by JHobbs via Wikimedia.

By Jonathan Sperling

A Flushing man intent on hoarding a small army’s worth of firearms and ammunition in his home was sentenced to three and a half years in prison after pleading guilty in Queens Supreme Court, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced Thursday.

Alan Hoo, 47, pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon before Acting Queens Supreme Court Justice Barry A. Kron in December after being caught stockpiling an array of weapons in the basement of his Mulberry Street home. Hoo previously told authorities that he had to wrestle the weapons away from an intruder who he claimed was shooting up his apartment.

“This defendant jeopardized the lives of residents in his community by hoarding large amounts of guns and ammunition in his home,” Brown said. “Not only did this individual collect these weapons, but he lured officers to his home with a crank call stating he was in danger. The sentence imposed by the Court today serves as a reminder that this illegal conduct will not be tolerated.”

Hoo called 911 on March 25, 2018 to report that shots had been fired by an intruder who broke into his home during the pre-dawn hours. When police officers arrived at his home, however, they discovered that the call was a hoax and that the only one in possession of a weapon was Hoo himself.

As authorities searched Hoo’s home, they discovered numerous air rifles, pistols, assault rifles and a .308 caliber rifle loaded with three rounds of ammunition in the chamber and 25 rounds in the magazine. Authorities also retrieved nine high-capacity magazines along with a large bag of fireworks from Hoo’s home.

Hoo will also face five years of post-release supervision after serving his prison sentence.