Police Report: March 10-16

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.

March 16^th:

2700 block of Queens Chapel Road: Criminal citation – 1:30am. Officers responded for the report of a domestic disturbance. Once on the scene the officers were approached by the male half of the dispute who was very agitated, intoxicated and in possession of an open container of an alcoholic beverage. Officers, along with the female half of the dispute tried in vain to get the man to calm down and act rationally. The officers were forced to deploy their issued pepper spray to get the man under control and under arrest. Fire/rescue personnel responded to decontaminate the man from the effects of the pepper spray. By that time he was rational enough to be issued a criminal citation and sent on his way.

March 15^th:

2900 block of Allison Street: Attempted armed robbery – 1:30am. Officers responded to the area for the report of the sound of gunshots. When they arrived they located a resident who had just been accosted by three male suspects. The victim told officers that as he was walking up to his apartment building three men ran up to him and grabbed him. One of the men produced a 9mm handgun and demanded his money. He refused, grabbed the gun and a struggle ensued. During the struggle the gun discharged and possibly wounded one of the suspects. After the shot went off all three suspects immediately ran to a waiting dark blue or black four door sedan and fled the area via 30^th Street. The victim suffered a bloody nose during the struggle but refused medical treatment on the scene. PGPD detectives responded to interview the victim and search for evidence. A blood trail was located and a K-9 team from Greenbelt PD responded and followed the trail to Allison and 30^th Streets where the dog lost the track. Area hospitals were alerted to the possibility that one of the suspects may come in for treatment of a gunshot wound.   UPDATE: On March 18^th one of the suspects in this case was located at Washington Hospital Center being treated for a single gunshot wound to his upper leg. He was identified as having been involved in this robbery. A warrant was obtained for his arrest. PGPD and DC detectives are working jointly to link this individual to other robberies in the area.

3500 block of Otis Street: Residential burglary – 4:25pm. The resident told officers that she left home at about 1:30 this afternoon, returning at about 2:45. When she got home she discovered a rear bedroom window open and two computers missing. She told officers that the window had probably been left open by her husband since it was hot in the apartment. Officers processed the apartment for evidence and recovered latent fingerprints. Those prints were submitted to RAFIS for identification.

3400 block of Eastern Avenue: Emergency petition – 8pm. Officers responded for the report of a domestic dispute between two adults. When the officers arrived they observed the male half of the argument to be in a highly agitated state and holding an infant child. The man refused to give the child to its mother and became more combative, using the infant as a shield while yelling slurs and obscenities at the officers. Additional police units from Bladensburg and Hyattsville responded to assist with the situation. At one point the man, in his enraged condition lost his grip on the child and when it fell on the bed officers were able to deploy an issued Taser weapon to get him under control and under arrest. Fire/rescue personnel responded and transported the man to Prince George’s Hospital Center where he was released to medical personnel for treatment. Neither the child nor its mother were injured in the incident.

March 14^th:

4500 block of 29^th Street: Recovered stolen auto – 4:30pm. MRPD was notified by the PGPD auto theft unit that they recovered a 1995 Lexus that was reported stolen from the 4500 block of 29^th Street sometime between 9:30pm on February 22^nd and 10am on February 23^rd. The ATU found the vehicle in the 15000 block of Berry Road in Accokeek on February 22^nd but was only now able to identify the owner because the vehicle had been burned.

37^th Street and Rhode Island Avenue: Warrant service – 10:15am. Officers stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation. Further investigation revealed that the driver’s license was suspended and he had an open arrest warrant through Montgomery County for failing to appear in court on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. He was issued several traffic citations, arrested on the warrant and delivered to the custody of DOC in Hyattsville.

March 13^th:

3400 block of Rhode Island Avenue: Criminal citation – 9:50am. Officers issued a man a criminal citation for urinating in public.

4400 block of 31^st Street: Attempted burglary – 3:15pm. The homeowner told officers that she went to answer a knock at her front door. When she made it to the door she saw a man walking away from her residence. A short time later she saw the same man trying to climb through her dining room window. The man was half way into the house when the victim saw him. She screamed and the suspect fled the property in an unknown direction. The victim described the man as a black male, 6’ tall, 160 lbs., wearing a black and blue hat and a black and blue jacket. A search of the area for the suspect proved negative.

3100 block of Queens Chapel Road: Forced entry – 6pm. Officers were called to assist fire/rescue personnel in locating a gas leak. Fire/rescue personnel forced entry into two apartments before finding the leak. The leak was repaired and maintenance personnel responded to secure the doors.

3100 block of Queens Chapel Road: Strong arm robbery – 6:15pm. The victim told officers that she was waiting for her food order to be ready at Joe’s Carryout when a black male walked up to the counter. The man pushed the victim up against a wall, took her cell phone out of her hand and fled the store in an unknown direction. The victim described her assailant as a black male, 5’7” tall, 150 lbs., with a tattoo on the left side of his face. He was wearing a gray hoodie, a brown jacket and blue jeans. A search of the area for the suspect proved negative. The victim was not injured.

March 12^th:

4000 block of 37^th Street: Burglary – 4:20pm. Officers responded for a burglary in progress at a vacant residence. This was the same residence that was burglarized on March 11^th. This time officers apprehended two men as they ran out the front door. At least one other individual got away after leaving the house through a back window. The homeowner responded and verified that nothing was stolen from inside the house. The two arrestees, one adult and one juvenile, were charged with burglary. Both individuals were left in the custody of PGPD detectives at District I for their follow-up investigation.

3400 block of Rhode Island Avenue: Criminal citation – 10:30pm. Officers issued a man a criminal citation for drinking in public.

March 11^th:

4000 block of 37^th Street: Missing juvenile – 12:35am. Officers spoke to the mother of a 16 year old female who said that her daughter had run away from home again. The last time her daughter went missing was on February 21^st. The girl was located at an address on Oglethorpe Street in Hyattsville on February 22^nd. The girl’s information was entered into NCIC missing persons files.

4000 block of 37^th Street: Burglary – 4:30pm. Officers responded for a burglary in progress at a vacant residence. A witness reported seeing three black males exiting out of the back door. When the officers arrived they searched the house and found no one inside. The three males that fled the house were gone prior to the officers’ arrival. The homeowner responded and told officers that nothing had been stolen from inside. She secured the residence to prevent further entry.

4200 block of Kaywood Drive: Property damage – 6:15pm. The resident told officers that sometime between 4:30pm on March 1^st and 9am on March 9^th someone damaged the front screen door to her apartment. No evidence as to those responsible could be found.

March 10^th:

3700 block of 37^th Street: Vandalism to auto – 9:45pm. The owner of a 1996 Jeep Cherokee told officers that sometime between 8pm on March 9^th and 7pm today someone damaged the vehicle’s driver’s door lock. There was no additional damage to the vehicle.

3400 block of Rhode Island Avenue: MIR – 11pm. Officers responded to Providence Hospital to interview a man who was being treated for a severed finger. The man, who was very intoxicated and ultimately uncooperative, said that he was at the bus stop in the 3400 block of Rhode Island Avenue when he heard a gunshot. After hearing the shot he looked at his left hand and saw that he had been struck at the base of his middle finger. The man walked to the area of Montana Avenue and Adams Street NW where he finally called a friend to come and drive him to the hospital. Further investigation revealed that the man’s story was contrived and the wound he suffered was actually self inflicted. DC police checked the man’s home and verified that he shot himself accidentally on his front porch.

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.

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