Armed Robbers Disarmed, Shot at by Would-Be-Victim

An armed robbery in Hyattsville was foiled on Monday night after a would-be-victim literally turned his attackers gun against them.

The incident began just before 10 p.m. on July 8 when police say two suspects approached a man and woman as they were exiting their vehicle in the 5600 block of 30th Avenue in Hyattsville. 

According to a media release distributed by the Hyattsville City Police Department, one of the suspects brandished a handgun as he approached the man, demanding that he turn over his valuables. 

But instead, the man struggled with the armed assailant briefly before disarming him and gaining control of the gun. 

Police say that the second suspect then approached his suddenly lethally armed victim. Fearing for his life, according to police, the man fired the gun at the suspects, who turned and fled from the scene. 

The victims were not injured during the incident. 

Hyattsville police say the investigation into the incident is ongoing. Descriptions provided by the suspects are short on details. The first suspect, who initially brandished the gun, is described as an African-American man in his 30s wearing a FedEx shirt and sporting a neatly trimmed beard. The second suspect is described by police only as a tall African-American man "possibly wearing a work shirt."

Investigators are asking anyone with information on this attempted armed robbery to submit a tip to the Hyattsville City Police Department by calling 301-985-5060.