Police Report: August 17-23

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.

August 23^rd:

34^th Street and Rhode island Avenue: M/V collision – 2:20am. A 2001 Toyota Solara being driven north opn Rhode Island Avenue when the driver fell asleep. The vehicle struck a parked 2013 Mini Cooper and flipped over before coming to rest. No one was injured in the collision and both vehicles were impounded due to the extent of damage from the crash.

2400 block of Arundel Road: Vehicle impound – 10:20am. An officer patrolling with a vehicle equipped with an automatic license plate reader received an alert on a 2004 Chevy Monte Carlo with suspended registration and a pick up order on the tags. The tags were seized for return to MVA and the vehicle was impounded.

4000 block of 29^th Street (MR Quick Stop): Theft – 10:40am. The store clerk told officers that a black male came into the store and selected two boxes of Pop Tarts from a shelf. The suspect then exited the store without making any attempt to pay for the merchandise and fled on foot into DC. The suspect was described as a black male in his late teens, about 6’2”tall with a slim build, wearing a white short-sleeve shirt.

2400 block of Chillum Road: Vehicle impound – 12:15pm. Officers stopped a 2001 Mazda 626 for an equipment violation. Further investigation revealed that the vehicle’s registration was suspended and there was a pick up order for the tags. The tags were seized for return to MVA and the vehicle was impounded. The driver was issued the appropriate citations.

3800 block of 34^th Street: Vehicle impound – 3:20pm. An officer patrolling with a vehicle equipped with an automatic license plate reader received an alert on a 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer with suspended registration and a pick up order on the tags. The tags were seized for return to MVA and the vehicle was impounded.

3100 block of Chillum Road: M/V collision – 3:50pm. The driver of a 1999 Chrysler told officers that she was parked with her driver’s side door open in a space in front of the 7-11 store. A 2008 Lexus pulled into the space next to her and struck her open door. He vehicle was inoperable after the collision.

4200 block of 31^st Street: Theft from auto – 5pm. The owner of a 2008 Toyota Rav4 told officers that sometime between 9pm on the 21^st and the time he called police someone entered his vehicle and stole a GPS unit and some change. There were no signs of forced entry into the vehicle and the owner said he did not secure the vehicle when he parked it.

3100 block of Queens Chapel Road: Civil citation – 11pm. Officers issued the resident a civil citation for violating the City’s noise ordinance. The resident had been previously warned to keep her music turned down to a reasonable level in compliance with the ordinance. When she failed to comply she was issued the citation.

August 22^nd:

4600 block of 29^th Street: Warrant service – 1:40am. An officer observed a woman for whom he had previously obtained an arrest warrant charging her with 1^st and 2^nd degree assault. He arrested her on the warrant and delivered her to the custody of DOC in Hyattsville.

4300 block of Russell Avenue: Vehicle impound – 3:15pm. Officers patrolling the area discovered a 2002 Honda Odyssey with no tags affixed to it. Further investigation revealed that the vehicle was unregistered and it was impounded for safekeeping.

August 21^st:

3600 block of Rhode Island Avenue: Criminal citation – 8:30pm. Officers issued a man a criminal citation for possession of marijuana.

4200 block 31^st Street: Tampering with a M/V – 7:15am. Officers investigating a M/V tampering developed a suspect from a previous burglary investigation. The suspect was located and the vehicle owner positively identified him. He was charged accordingly and delivered to the custody of DOC in Hyattsville.

37^th Street and Eastern Avenue: Recovered stolen auto – 8am. Officers responded for the report of a vehicle abandoned in the roadway. The officers found a 2010 Mazda with heavy front end damage that had been previously reported stolen from an address outside the City. The vehicle was impounded for safekeeping and the owner was notified of the recovery.

4300 block of 31^st Street: Burglary – 7:15pm. Officers responded for the report of a burglary in progress. When the officers arrived they were able to locate and arrest the burglar. The homeowner positively identified the man since he watched him break in through a back window. The man was charged accordingly and delivered to the custody of DOC in Hyattsville.

3800 block of 34^th Street: Burglary – 11pm. A witness told officers that he saw a man break the window of a business establishment. He saw the man go inside, come out with a bicycle and flee the area toward Rhode Island Avenue. After further investigation and review of the store’s video surveillance system the owner of the store and the witness have positively identified the suspect. An arrest warrant for the suspect was obtained from the District Court Commissioner charging him with several counts of burglary, theft and destruction of property.

2800 block of Taylor Street: Warrant service – 11:45pm. Officers responded to serve an open arrest on a subject who was wanted in Anne Arundel County for theft. The individual was located, arrested on the warrant and delivered to the custody of DOC in Hyattsville.

August 20^th:

3700 block of 34^th Street: Theft – 8:40am. The victim told officers that he secured two bicycles to his front porch with a chain and lock. The next morning he discovered that the chain had been cut and both bikes stolen.

3800 block of 34^th Street: Indecent exposure – 1:50pm. The victim told officers that while parking her car a man approached her on the front passenger side and began to punch the window. He then pulled his pants down and exposed his penis and placed it against the window. He fled the scene but responding officers were able to stop and detain him. He was positively identified by the victim. He was arrested, charged with indecent exposure and other crimes and delivered to the custody of DOC in Hyattsville.

4200 block of Rainier Avenue: Burglary – 6:40pm. The victim told officers that she came to the residence to meet with a friend and placed her purse on a table in the foyer. A few minutes later she heard the door open and saw a teenage black male enter the residence and steal her purse. The suspect fled the residence on foot up Rainier Avenue towards Upshur Street. Several witnesses gave the officers a good description of the suspect however a search of the area failed to locate him.

August 19^th:

3200 block of Rhode Island Avenue: Traffic – 9:40am. Officers stopped a 2002 Chevy Avalanche after receiving an ALPR alert that the tags were suspended. Further investigation confirmed the suspension and that there was a pick up order for the tags. The tags were seized for return to MVA and the vehicle was impounded.

3400 block of Windom Road: Traffic – 12:55pm. Officers stopped a 1992 Honda Civic after receiving an ALPR alert that the tags were suspended. Further investigation confirmed the suspension and that there was a pick up order for the tags. The tags were seized for return to MVA and the vehicle was impounded.

3800 block of 33^rd Street: Recovered stolen vehicle – 1:55pm. Officers were notified by DC police that their officers recovered a 2000 Chrysler Sebring stolen from the 3800 block of 33^rd Street on August 16^th. The vehicle was located in the 200 block of 37^th Street S.E.  No arrests were made and the vehicle was released to the owner on the scene.

4000 block of 33^rd Street: Stolen vehicle – 2:15pm. The owner of a 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis told officers that sometime between noon on August 18^th and the time he called police someone stole his vehicle that had been parked in his driveway. The owner said that he usually leaves the vehicle unlocked and that he was unaware of the location of the vehicle’s keys.

August 18^th:

2900 block of Queens Chapel Road: Armed robbery – 10:15pm. Officers responded to the area for the report of unknown trouble. A witness told the officers that she saw three men dressed in white tank top shirts walking down 31^st Street towards Arundel Road. One of the men appeared to be holding a towel to his head. Officers located the three men and when they tried to interview them they became very uncooperative and walked away stating that they did not need police assistance. The officers persisted and eventually learned that they had been robbed at gun point by four black males wearing masks and driving in a green minivan.  All subjects stated that nothing was taken and that they were not “snitches” and didn’t wish to make a report, nor did they want the help of the police. The three left the area without further comment.   The brief description that the victims gave matched the description of the suspects that committed an earlier carjacking in Hyattsville City.

August 17^th:

3700 block of 35^th Street: Criminal citation – 1:15am. Officers issued a man a criminal citation for drinking in public.

3200 block of Queens Chapel Road: Criminal citation – 2:05am. Officers stopped a 2014 BMW convertible after observing the rear seat passengers standing up while the vehicle was in motion. Further investigation revealed that one of the passengers was in possession of a small amount of marijuana and he was issued a criminal citation for the violation. The driver was issued several traffic citations and the whole bunch was sent on their way.

3600 block of Perry Street: Vehicle impound – 5:25pm. Officers stopped to investigate an illegally parked pickup truck. Further investigation revealed that the truck’s registration was suspended and there was an MSP pick up order for the tags. The tags were seized for return to MVA and the 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.

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