Robbery Thwarted by Parked Police Cruisers

A robbery was averted on Monday evening when two suspects caught sight of nearby parked police cars and decided to call off their crime, according to Hyattsville city police. 

The incident involved two suspects and began at about 9:50 p.m. on July 29 around the 2700 block of Nicholson Street, near the Kirkwood Apartments. According to Hyattsville Chief of Police Doug Holland, an employee of the apartment complex was walking through the property when he was approached by a suspect who asked the employee for a cigarette. The suspect then followed the employee to the parking lot nearby, displayed a black handgun and announced a robbery.

At this point, a second suspect then alerted the first to the presence of multiple Maryland-National Capital Park Police cruisers in a nearby parking lot overlooking the nearby Sligo Creek and Northwestern Branch trails. The presence of the cruisers was enough to dissuade the duo from pressing their crime further, and they fled into the night. The victim was not harmed during the attempted robbery, and no property was stolen. 

Police say the victim described the first suspect as a black male with a medium brown complexion, standing about 6 feet tall, weighing 230 pounds, between the ages of 20-25. The first suspect was wearing a white baseball hat, a white polo shirt with black stripes, black jeans, gray New Balance shoes and was armed with a black handgun. 

The victim described the second suspect as a black man with medium brown complexion, standing about 5 feet tall, with a thin build, between the ages of 17-20, wearingg a white tee-shirt with a bright graphic design, black pants and gray New Balance shoes. 

The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information which could help police close in on the suspects responsible for this attempted robbery can submit a tip by calling the Hyattsville City Police Department at 540-985-5000.