Police Suspect Crime Ring in Verizon Store Robbery

The armed robbery of the Verizon Wireless store in Edgewater on March 5 may have been carried out by a group of criminals that has appeared in stores throughout the Washington, DC, and Baltimore area, Anne Arundel County police said. 

The commander of the police department's Western District said Wednesday that a robbery of a Verizon Store in Odenton March 9 was similar to several robberies throughout the region, including at least three in Anne Arundel County.

The robbery on March 5 on Lee Airpark Drive took place at 9:40 p.m. and police said two men came in armed with a handgun and demanded cash and merchandise before fleeing. 

A similar crime was reported on March 9 at the Verizon Wireless store in Odenton. 

Capt. Herbert Hasenpusch said the department is working with law enforcement agencies in Montgomery County in Maryland and Spotsylvania County in Virginia, as well as the FBI, among other groups.

"This is part of a large scheme," Hasenpusch said Wednesday at the meeting of the Western District Police-Community Relations Council. 

Hasenpusch said the crew has targeted Verizon Wireless and AT&T stores, often getting away with high-priced mobile phones and tablets. He declined to offer more specific details on the suspected group, citing ongoing investigations.

Hasenpusch said that in the past, police worked with companies to prevent burglars from stealing merchandise when stores are closed. These robberies are different, he said, because they have taken place with employees present, usually near closing time. 

Suspect descriptions differed slightly between the two incidents, but witnesses said the crimes were carried out by two men working together, with at least one armed with a handgun.

See Also:

• Two Men Wanted in Robbery at Verizon Store