Showing posts with label theft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theft. Show all posts

Sunday, September 24, 2023

Rockville purse snatcher uses key inside to steal car


A purse snatcher in Rockville managed to grab two handbags, and used the car key found inside one to add grand theft auto to their rapidly-growing rap sheet on September 15, 2023. Rockville City police say the suspect entered the rear door of a business in the 5700 block of Fishers Lane, and found purses belonging to two employees of the business on a table. Rifling through one, the suspect found a car key. The suspect used that key to steal that employee's car at 7:52 PM that evening. If you have any information about this incident or suspect, call Rockville City police at 240-314-8900.

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Purse snatched at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda


Montgomery County police responded to a report of a purse snatching at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda on Sunday afternoon, September 17, 2023. It was reported at the mall at 3:50 PM. The purse was left unattended, rather than being forcibly grabbed, in this case. Remember to keep an eye on your purse while shopping, as apparently someone else at the mall has an eye on it, too.

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Purse snatched at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda


Montgomery County police responded to a report of a purse snatching at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda on Labor Day, September 4, 2023. The theft was reported at 10:26 PM. A good reminder to not leave purses unattended while shopping, dining or at the movies.

Sunday, August 27, 2023

Sunglass snatcher strikes in Rockville


Rockville City police responded to a report of designer sunglasses being stolen in the Maryvale neighborhood on August 21, 2023. The sunglasses were taken from a Kia SUV parked in the 600 block of Pinewood Road. It is believed the sunglasses were stolen sometime between 11:30 PM on August 20 and 9:00 AM on August 21. If you have any information about this incident or suspect, call Rockville police at 240-314-8900.

Saturday, August 26, 2023

Rockville thief with marijuana tattoo flees scene on Trek mountain bike


Rockville City police are seeking to identify and find a mountain-biking thief who stole merchandise from a store on Rockville Pike. The suspect entered an employees-only area of a store in the 1600 block of Rockville Pike around 10:00 AM on August 17, 2023. Based on the block number, that sounds like a business at Congressional Plaza, but police did not identify the store.

After allegedly stealing an Apple Air Pods case and a pair of shorts, the suspect fled the scene on a blue Trek mountain bike. Police describe the suspect as a Hispanic male 5' 8" inches in height, with tattoos of a marijuana leaf and stars on the back of his hand. He was wearing a black Baltimore Ravens hoodie, black "ripple-type" jeans, and a pair of black Nike Air Force shoes. If you have any information about this incident or suspect, call Rockville police at 240-314-8900.

Friday, August 25, 2023

Police called after assault at Rockville restaurant


Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at a restaurant in Rockville on Wednesday, August 23, 2023. The assault was reported at a restaurant in the 15200 block of Frederick Road at 5:55 PM, just south of Gude Drive. An individual was also accused of theft in the same incident.

Monday, August 21, 2023

Airbag thief smashes windows on 9 Hondas on 1 block in Rockville


Rockville City police responded to a report of airbag thefts in the Rockville Town Center area on August 9, 2023. A thief broke the driver's side window on 9 Honda vehicles in the 700 block of Monroe Street sometime between 10:55 PM on August 8 and 6:45 AM on August 9. Airbags were stolen from the vehicles. This is in the area of the Parkside Landing apartments.

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Pickpocket strikes at Shady Grove Metro station


Montgomery County police responded to a report of a pickpocket theft at the Shady Grove Metro station yesterday, August 15, 2023. The theft was reported at 6:00 AM Monday. Watch your wallet, as thieves may be watching it when you pull it out to buy a farecard at the station.

Saturday, August 5, 2023

Thief grabs 4 smartwatches in Rockville wireless store heist


A smart thief displayed perfect timing in stealing smartwatches from a wireless store at the Fallsgrove Village Center in Rockville on July 30. Rockville City police were called to the store at 11:15 AM Sunday, after the thief snatched four smartwatches, and ran out the door. Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T all have stores at the shopping center.

Friday, August 4, 2023

Do you recognize this suspect who allegedly broke into vehicles at a Rockville shopping center?


Montgomery County police are seeking the public's help in identifying and locating a suspect who allegedly broke into several vehicles at a Rockville shopping center, and stole items inside. The incident occurred this past Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at the Research Row development at 1401 Research Boulevard. Police say the suspect fled in a dark-colored 4-door Chevrolet.


Police describe the suspect as a Black male in his forties or fifties, with a large build, and about 5-feet, 10-inches in height. He was wearing a white t-shirt, black shorts, white socks and white and red shoes. Detectives are asking for anyone with information regarding this crime or the suspect involved to call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the suspect. Callers may remain anonymous. 



Thursday, August 3, 2023

Pickpocket strikes at Rockville movie theater


Don't let Barbenheimer fever distract you from watching your wallet at the movies. Montgomery County police were called to the Regal Cinemas Rockville at 199 E. Montgomery Avenue, after a complaintant reported having their pocket picked at the cineplex. The theft was reported at the theater at 10:30 PM on Saturday, July 29, 2023.

Monday, July 10, 2023

Shoplifter carries concealed weapon at Rockville drugstore


A shoplifting incident at a Rockville drugstore revealed more than pilfered items Saturday night, July 10, 2023. Rockville City police officers were called to a drugstore in the 1500 block of Rockville Pike at 8:42 PM to investigate shoplifting. A suspect was allegedly found to be carrying a concealed weapon. There is a CVS Pharmacy on that block of Rockville Pike.

Friday, June 16, 2023

Ulta Beauty thieves pursued by police in Rockville


Four thieves stole items from Ulta Beauty at 1631 Rockville Pike at Congressional Plaza yesterday, June 15, 2023. Around 4:30 PM, the suspects fled the store in a vehicle. Rockville City police pursued the vehicle into the area of Rollins Park. When the suspects attempted to bail out of the getaway car, officers took two into custody, and the other two remain at large. RCPD announced that the two suspects who were captured will face unspecified charges.

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Pickpocket strikes in Rockville parking lot


Watch your wallet! Rockville City police responded to a report of a pickpocket incident in the Twinbrook area Sunday afternoon, May 28, 2023. The theft was reported in a commercial parking lot in the 2000 block of Veirs Mill Road at 5:48 PM.

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Shoplifters strike at 2 Rockville liquor stores in 90 minutes


Surveillance camera footage has been showing us the recent handiwork of well-organized shoplifting teams in Montgomery County businesses. The County itself was the latest victim Friday afternoon in Rockville. Shoplifters hit two Montgomery County-owned liquor stores within 90 minutes. The first 911 call came from the 300 N. Washington Street store at 2:07 PM; the second, from the 14937 Shady Grove Road store at the Fallsgrove Village Center at 3:36 PM.

Sunday, April 30, 2023

Over 20 car windows smashed in theft rampage at Rockville apartment complex (Photos)


One or more thieves smashed windows on over 20 vehicles at a Rockville apartment complex early yesterday morning, April 29, 2023. Residents of Halpine View on Twinbrook Parkway say that the cars were broken into between 1:00 and 4:00 AM Saturday. The most common item stolen from the vandalized cars was the vehicle's airbag. Honda Civics were the primary target in the theft spree, which resembles a similar rampage at a Bethesda condo earlier this month.


Given that thieves are willing to break the windows even if you've locked your car, how can you keep your airbag from being stolen? Police and insurance industry experts recommend installing an anti-theft device on your steering wheel, such as The Club. Thieves who see such a device attached are likely to move on to the next car.









Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Giant limiting self-checkout to 20 items or less, due to "a significant increase in crime"


The other shoe has dropped in Giant's changes to its self-checkout system, and it's landed directly on the shopper's head. Self-checkout will now be limited to 20 items or less, due to "a significant increase in crime and theft that we and many other retailers are experiencing across our market area," Giant President Ira Kress said in a message to customers. He said the new limit, along with the weighing scale recently added to the self-checkout units, will "mitigate the impact of theft to our business."


Under the new system, parents shopping for large families, or anyone who prefers to get their shopping out of the way once a week, will essentially be forced to go through the traditional checkout lines. However, Giant has tended to shut those down as the evening goes on, angering customers who were averse to self-checkout machines. Kress did not specify if Giant will now keep cashiers at the old checkout lines until closing at stores. But he did acknowledge what will be a major impact on many Giant customers.


"We know that these changes may cause some inconvenience or be disruptive to the experience you are used to," Kress said, "and I assure you we are making these changes out of necessity to prioritize the safety of our associates and customers." A shoplifter was recently caught on video assaulting a security guard at the Bethesda Row Giant store. Corporate policy appeared to limit the guard's ability to escalate his response; even after being struck in the face, he could only plaintively continue to ask the shoplifter to show him a receipt. 

Once again, we see how the failure of our elected officials to respond to increasing crime - one of the most basic responsibilities of their offices - creates negative impacts for the law-abiding residents of our community. It's interesting that business leaders will admit crime is increasing, and is a major problem, before our elected officials will.

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Auto parts theft spree in Rockville


A lot of vehicles are missing parts in the Twinbrook area of Rockville, after one or more thieves went on a theft spree there early yesterday morning. Montgomery County police responded to multiple reports from victims in the 13200 and 12900 blocks of Twinbrook Parkway, and the 12600 block of Veirs Mill Road. Most of the vehicles were parked in apartment complex lots over Monday night into Tuesday morning. One was parked at the Twinbrook Recreation Center. When it comes to auto parts theft, thieves are most often looking for airbags and catalytic converters these days.

Thursday, February 16, 2023

Rockville police warn of increase in thefts from vehicles this week


Rockville City police report an increase in thefts from vehicles in several communities across Rockville over the last few days. Many of these vehicles had been left unlocked, police said. In cases where the doors had been locked, valuables like purses had been left in plain view inside the vehicle. Thieves then smashed windows to grab those items. The police department exhorted residents in a social media post to "lock it or lose it," and to never leave valuables where they are visible, as thieves are very active in Rockville at the moment.

Monday, January 23, 2023

Purse snatched at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda


Montgomery County police responded to a report of a purse-snatching at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda last Friday night, January 20, 2023. The theft was reported at 8:00 PM in a department store at the mall.