GAMBRILLS, Md. — A Laurel man is accused of inappropriately touching and spraying several women with an unknown substance inside multiple stores in Gambrills.
Anne Arundel County Police were first alerted around 11:45am Tuesday, when a call came in from the Target and Petco at the Waugh Chapel Towne Centre.
As officers arrived on scene more reports came in from the Safeway nearby.
That's where police noticed a man matching the description of the suspect behind the wheel of a vehicle leaving the scene.
The driver, identified as 19-year-old Jamir Rashed Madden, initially stopped for officers but fled when asked to step out of the vehicle.
Police say he nearly struck an officer while trying to get away.
After a brief chase Madden's car got stuck in a ditch, prompting him to take off running.
Officers were eventually able to catch up and arrest him.
Seven total victims were identified. Police reportedly found a lotion bottle in Madden's possession, which they believe he used to spray the victims.
Detectives are still working to determine a motive and aren't exactly sure what was in the bottle, so they submitted the contents to a lab for further analysis.
Madden now faces multiple counts of assault, sex offense, and traffic violations. He's due in court Wednesday afternoon for a bail review.
Anyone with any information on the case is asked to call 410-222-6155 or the TipLine at 410-222-4700.
