WESTERN DISTRICT
ROBBERY ARRESTS HANOVER / SEVERN
On February 4, 2013, at approximately 4:12 p.m., officers from the Western District responded to the Sam's Club store located in the 400 block of George Clauss Boulevard in Severn for a report of an attempted robbery of a citizen.
Upon arrival, officers spoke with the 49-year-old female victim, who advised that she had just parked her vehicle in the Sam's Club parking lot and was walking to the store when she was approached by a male suspect who suddenly grabbed her purse that was on her shoulder and attempted to rip it away from her. The victim resisted, fell to the ground and was drug toward a teal vehicle. The suspect then entered into the teal vehicle and fled the scene without obtaining any property from the victim. While officers were handling this incident, two more calls for service came out regarding possible robberies in Hanover.
At approximately 4:35 p.m., officers from the Western District responded to the parking lot of the Muvico theatre at Arundel Mills Mall in Hanover for a report of an attempted robbery of a citizen. Officers spoke to the 28-year-old male victim and his wife, who reported that two male suspects approached them, grabbed the female victim’s arm and demanded money. One suspect displayed a tire iron during the incident. The male victim resisted, grabbed the tire iron from the suspect and both suspects fled the scene in a teal-colored Nissan Maxima. A witness provided officers with a tag number and vehicle description.
At approximately 5:13 p.m., officers from the Western District responded to a third, similar robbery in the 7600 block of Arundel Mills Boulevard in Hanover. Officers spoke with the 20-year-old male victim, who reported that he was walking in the area of the Baja Fresh/Safeway parking lot when he was approached by two male suspects who announced a robbery. One suspect displayed a tire iron and swung it at the victim, who avoided being struck. The suspects managed to take the victim’s iPhone and flee the area in a vehicle similar in description to the two previous incidents. The victim from this incident also provided a tag number and vehicle description (Nissan Maxima) to officers.
Through further investigation, officers identified and located three suspects later that evening through investigative tactics at a marina in the unit block of South River Road in Edgewater, Maryland. The suspects were taken into custody and have been linked to all three incidents. Charges are pending on the third suspect.
Suspect #1: James Thomas Ross, 31, of 7982 Oakwood Road, Glen Burnie, Md
Suspect #2: Richard R. Phelps, 30, of 2635 E. Monument Street, Baltimore, Md
