Attempted Robbery Of Flower Vendor Reported On MOCO Exit Ramp: Police

SILVER SPRING, MD — A woman selling flowers on a highway exit ramp was assaulted by thieves and dragged by an SUV Sunday afternoon in Montgomery County, according to Maryland State Police.

Shortly after 3 p.m., troopers from the Rockville Barrack responded to a report of an attempted robbery on the exit ramp from Interstate 495 East to Route 650 South. A 64-year-old woman was selling flowers along the road when a driver in an SUV called her over while stopped in traffic on the ramp.

Investigators said the occupants in the SUV pretended to be interested in purchasing flowers, but grabbed the woman’s purse instead. As the SUV sped away, the victim was briefly dragged and fell, with the purse still in her possession. She was taken to Holy Cross Hospital for treatment of injuries and released.

The SUV involved in the theft is a darker-colored vehicle with District of Columbia license plates and was last seen heading southbound on Route 650. A “Be On the Lookout” alert was issued to the Montgomery County Police Department and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Trooper Hershberger at the Rockville Barrack at (301) 424-2101.