Montgomery County Police reported thirteen arrests on Monday, all related to stolen or carjacked vehicles.
Around 12:29 p.m. on Monday, an officer from the 3rd District spotted two vehicles that had been taken in armed carjackings: a Nissan Sentra and a Honda Accord near Georgia and Wayne Avenues in downtown Silver Spring. The officer followed one of the vehicles and waited for backup.
According to an MCPD news release, the Nissan was involved in a short chase and ended up crashing into a tree at Dennis and Douglas Avenues. All five people in the car, including 18-year-old Samuel Fikru from Silver Spring who was driving the Nissan, were caught by police. Two BB guns and a knife were found in the Nissan. Investigations showed that both the Nissan and Honda vehicles had been taken in armed carjackings. The other four occupants in the Nissan included three 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old male.
The Honda was discovered near Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School at approximately 2 p.m. on Monday by 2nd District officers. After a number of suspects fled from the stolen vehicle, a 15-year-old girl was arrested, leading to a temporary lockdown at the school as officers pursued the remaining suspects.
In another incident, an off-duty Baltimore County police officer contacted 911 to report a Kia Sedona with a broken window near Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville. The Emergency Communications Center confirmed that the Kia had been reported stolen earlier that day. The vehicle was later found by Montgomery County Police officers in Calverton, where an attempted traffic stop led to a collision with another vehicle on Cherry Hill Road.
All five suspects, including three 16-year-olds, a 17-year-old, and a 14-year-old driver, fled the scene. Two were apprehended, while the remaining three fled in a gray Infiniti with two other occupants, aged 15 and 16. Soon after, the Infiniti came back to the Calverton area, and all five people inside got out to witness the arrest of the two first suspects. When officers identified three of the teenagers as the original suspects from the stolen Kia, they arrested all five individuals.
Fikru has been charged with armed carjacking and motor vehicle theft. He is currently held without bond at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit.
The teenagers in the Nissan have been charged with auto theft, obstructing and hindering, and malicious destruction of property. The minors in the Kia face charges of unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and related offenses. The 15 and 16-year-olds in the Infiniti are charged with conspiracy to commit motor vehicle theft, obstructing and hindering, and other conspiracy-related offenses.
The 15-year-old girl in the Honda was not charged and was released to her parents. All of the teen suspects were taken to Montgomery County Police District Stations and then released to their parents, MCPD said.
MCPD Graphic