Rockville armed carjacking suspect arrested in SE Washington, D.C.

Thomas Whiting

Montgomery County police announced Wednesday that the suspect in the April 6, 2022 armed carjacking on Congressional Lane in Rockville is now in custody in Washington, D.C. Thomas Whiting, 23, was allegedly driving the stolen red 2012 Toyota Corolla two days later on Anacostia Road S.E. Metropolitan Police officers recognized the vehicle as having been carjacked in Maryland, and conducted a traffic stop. After initially pulling over, Whiting allegedly then attempted to flee from officers, who apprehended him and noticed a black handgun in the center console of the Corolla.

Whiting, whose residential jurisdiction was not identified by County police, has been charged with motor vehicle theft, armed carjacking and the use of a firearm during a crime of violence. He also had an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court on a previous illegal firearm possession charge. Whiting is being held in a D.C. jail. No plans for his extradition to Montgomery County have been immediately announced.

Police step up presence at Montgomery County Metro stations after New York subway attack (Photos)

Montgomery County and Metro Transit Police had a visible presence at Metro stations in the county Tuesday, after a mass shooting on a New York subway train earlier that day. Metro Emergency Response Team vehicles were parked in the bus bay area of the Bethesda Metro station. A County police cruiser prominently straddled the concrete median at the Old Georgetown Road entrance to the station. 

Authorities have so far declined to label the New York incident as a terrorist attack, despite the use of smoke grenades and a gas mask. Police are calling Frank R. James a person of interest in the mass shooting, and a $50,000 reward has been offered for information leading to his arrest. Ten people were wounded early yesterday morning after a gunman donned a gas mask, deployed smoke grenades, and then fired 33 shots in a subway car on an N train approaching the 36th Street station, the New York Times reports.

Mail stolen out of home mailbox in Derwood

Montgomery County police responded to a report of postal larceny in Derwood yesterday morning. Mail was stolen out of a mailbox in front of a home in the 16500 block of Grande Vista Drive at 10:27 AM, according to crime data. This is an increasing problem in Montgomery County, although the thefts have tended to be from USPS mailboxes, as opposed to those at individual homes. 

Criminals are typically seeking checks being mailed or received, and have a new way to erase the recipient's name, so they can write in their own name and/or amount. USPS officials have advised that postal customers place mail in USPS mailboxes as close to the collection time as possible. Customers in the Derwood and Rockville areas should be aware that such thieves are currently working the area. If your mail is stolen, call the police, and then the United States Postal Inspection Service stolen mail hotline at 1-877-876-2455. 

Photo courtesy USPS

Don Pollo planning new Rockville location

Don Pollo continues to grow in popularity in the area, and the restaurant chain's expansion is growing as well. A source tells me the charbroiled Peruvian chicken company is looking at opening a new Rockville location in the future at 168 Rollins Avenue. There is an existing Don Pollo at 2206 Veirs Mill Road, in the Twinbrook Shopping Center.

Car stolen from Rockville office park

Montgomery County police were called to investigate the theft of a vehicle from a Rockville office park yesterday morning. The vehicle was taken from a commercial parking lot in the unit block of Research Court, a street lined with hotels and several biotech research facilities. According to crime data, it is believed the vehicle was stolen sometime between 9:30 PM Saturday night, and 9:55 AM Sunday morning.

Apartment burglarized in King Farm area of Rockville

An apartment in the King Farm community of Rockville was burglarized early yesterday morning. Rockville City police found no forced entry, and a suspect was also accused of disorderly conduct. The burglary was reported at an apartment building in the 200 block of King Farm Boulevard at 4:18 AM, according to crime data.

Auto parts stolen outside Rockville apartment building

Rockville City police responded to a report of auto parts being stolen from a vehicle parked outside an apartment building in the Rockville Heights area yesterday afternoon. The theft was reported in the 600 block of Blandford Street at 2:00 PM, according to crime data. In recent times, these thefts are typically of airbags or catalytic converters.