Police Report: December 16-20

The Mount Rainier Police Department’s weekly report is not intended to be a listing of every incident or call for service handled by the police department, but merely a general summary of incidents that may be of interest to the community. Some reports may be outside the date parameters due to extended investigations or other circumstances. Some cases are not included at all due to ongoing investigations.

December 20^th:

4300 block of Russell Avenue: Theft from auto - 11am. The owner of a 2005 Ford Explorer reported that sometime between December 18^th and the 20^th someone stole the handicapped placards from inside his vehicle. Officers could find no sign of forced entry into the vehicle.

2700 block of Arundel Road: Forced entry – 11:35am. Officers responded for the report of a medical alarm coming from inside an apartment. When the officers arrived they received no answer at the door and called for fire/rescue and apartment management to respond and assist with a forced entry. Entry was made and the apartment was found unoccupied. Management secured the front door.

2700 block of Webster Street: Vandalism to auto – 11:15pm. The owner of a 2003 Chevy Malibu told officers that sometime prior to her call to police someone damaged the rear passenger window of her vehicle. The owner said that nothing had been stolen from in on her vehicle.

December 19^th:

4500 block of Eastern Avenue (BP station): Theft from auto – 8:45am. The victim told officers that as she was inserting her credit card to pump gas she heard a door close. She turned around to see a man entering a dark grey, newer model Mercedes. She looked inside of her vehicle and discovered that her purse had been stolen from the rear passenger side floor board. The suspect was described as a black male, 20-25 years of age, 6’ tall with his hair in braids pulled back in a pony tail. Officers recovered the station’s security camera surveillance footage and observed the suspect get out of the Mercedes, enter the victim’s vehicle and remove her purse.

4000 block of 33^rd Street: Possession of CDS – 2:10pm. Officers responded for the report of an illegally parked vehicle occupied by two suspicious individuals. When the officers arrived they found the vehicle and stopped the occupants for a field interview. During the interview the driver was found in possession of approximately seven grams of marijuana. He was arrested, charged accordingly and delivered to the custody of DOC in Hyattsville. The passenger was released and sent on his way.

3300 block of Otis Street: Recovered stolen auto – 7:10pm. DC police notified MRPD that their officers recovered a 2006 Toyota Highlander reported stolen from the 3300 block of Otis Street on September 23^rd, 2012. The vehicle was found in the 1800 block of 34^th Street, NE and no arrests were made.

December 18^th:

4100 block of Rainier Avenue: Residential burglary – 9:20pm. The homeowner told officers that he discovered that sometime between 8:30am and 12pm this morning someone broke into his residence through an unsecure dining room window. Once inside the suspect(s) stole several bottles of liquor, a laptop computer and a quantity of cash before fleeing the area. Nothing was damaged in the home and officers did not recover any useful evidence.

3400 block of Newton Place: Citizen robbery – 10:40pm. Officers responded for unknown trouble. Once on the scene the officers met with three individuals who were the victims of a robbery that had just occurred. Due to a language barrier (Chinese) officers were initially unable to communicate with the victims but were eventually able to locate a Maryland State Trooper with the requisite language skills. Through the translator the officers learned that the three victims were returning home when they were accosted by a black male suspect wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and a black mask. The suspect displayed a handgun and demanded one of the victim’s money. The suspect forced the victims into their apartment and had them lay on the floor. Three additional black male then entered and all four suspects ransacked the apartment. The four stole numerous items of the victims’ personal property and a quantity of cash before fleeing the apartment. All suspects got into a pickup truck and fled the area in an unknown direction. PGPD robbery detectives responded to the scene to assume a follow-up investigation. During a canvass of the area officers located a registration card that belonged to a Chevy Silverado pick-up truck that had been stolen from an address in the County earlier in the day. No additional evidence was recovered and none of the victims were injured during the robbery.

December 17^th:

34^th and Upshur Streets: Vehicle impound – 6:55am. Officers responded for the report of a single vehicle collision. When the officers arrived they discovered a 1992 Honda Civic stopped in the middle of the roadway with no tags attached. The vehicle had extensive front end and passenger side damage. The vehicle had not been reported stolen to any local law enforcement agency. The vehicle was impounded for safekeeping.

4600 block of 30^th Street: Theft from auto – 7:20am. The reporting person told officers that sometime between 5pm on the 14^th and the time he called police someone entered his Comcast work van and stole several items of his work tools from inside. No evidence was recovered from the vehicle.

3300 block of Buchanan Street: Stolen vehicle – 8am. The owner of a 1997 Ford van told officers that sometime between 6:30pm on the 15^th and the time he called police this morning someone stole his vehicle.

4500 block of 30^th Street: Missing person – 12:15pm. The mother of a 17 year old female told officers that her daughter failed to return home as expected from her place of employment. The girl was last seen on December 16^th at about 9am. Her information was entered into NCIC missing persons files. At about 8:45pm officers received a report that the girl had returned home and responded to her residence for a follow-up report. The officers interviewed the girl and learned that the reason she had not returned home was because she said she had been abducted from the Friendship Heights area of DC. She said that she was hit in the head from behind, lost consciousness and later woke up tied to a chair at a location in Arlington, VA. She was able to make contact with her boyfriend who picked her up in Arlington and brought her home. MRPD officers found no apparent evidence of injury and fire/rescue personnel transported her to Providence Hospital for a checkup. MPDC detectives took over the abduction investigation at the hospital. Their initial investigation revealed that the alleged abduction occurred on the Maryland side of Friendship Heights in Montgomery County. DC detectives referred her to MCP for further investigation.

December 16^th:

3700 block of Wells Avenue: DWI – 1:30am. Officers responded for the report of an occupied suspicious vehicle blocking the driveway of a private residence. When the officers arrived they found the vehicle in question and with the driver behind the wheel. Further investigation revealed that the driver was impaired by alcohol and unable to complete standard field sobriety tests. She was arrested for DWI and her vehicle was impounded.

Citizens are reminded to PLEASE call and report suspicious activity. Even if you choose not to provide your name or other personal information, we still need your help as extra eyes and ears in the community.

See or Hear Something?

Say Something!

We WANT to be bothered! Call 301-985-6565/6566.