Montgomery County Police say that three teenagers, one from Silver Spring and two from the District, have been charged following an armed robbery and subsequent pursuit that ended in a multi-vehicle crash in downtown Silver Spring on Monday afternoon.
At approximately 2:41 p.m. on Monday, officers from the 3rd District responded to an armed robbery in the 9300 block of Piney Branch Rd., MCPD said in a press release. A description of the suspect vehicle, a Toyota Sienna, was provided by the victim to the police. The suspects were located at the White Oak Shopping Center. After driving southbound on Rt. 29 towards Georgia Ave., the suspects crashed their Toyota into a Metrobus on Georgia Ave. near Sligo Ave. The suspect vehicle was then hit by a Montgomery County Police cruiser.
A third male suspect was extricated from the crashed vehicle by Montgomery County Fire & Rescue after two male suspects were immediately taken into custody. The arrests resulted in the discovery of a loaded 9mm ghost gun with a Glock slide, as well as a 9mm replica airsoft gun.
The three suspects, 18-year-old Wesley Jose Nunez and 19-year-old Lorenzo Antonio Madrid, both of the District, and 18-year-old Natnael Akalu of Silver Spring, were transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. Both men have been charged with armed robbery, use of a firearm in the commission of a violent felony, possession of a handgun, and other related offenses.
No officers were injured during this incident, and no serious injuries have been reported to passengers on the Metrobus. All three suspects are still hospitalized, according to MCPD.
MCPD Graphic