GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Police chased down three suspects believed to be involved in a string of recent 7-Eleven ATM robberies after catching them in the act.
Montgomery County Police say 28-year-old Omar Barnes, Deandre N. Jackson and Janarro R. Hewett, 27, are each charged with two counts of robbery, and a count of attempted robbery related to three separate recent incidents.
The latest attempt happened Tuesday morning just before 4 a.m. at the 7-Eleven located at 11303 Lockwood Drive in White Oak.
Officers patrolling the area noticed a white van and blue pick-up truck driving out of the store parking lot and into a nearby residential neighborhood. A few minutes later, the officers observed the very same pick-up truck return to the store. Two masked men, later identified as Barnes and Jackson, exited the truck, entered the 7-Eleven, and approached the clerks inside.
The driver, identified as Hewett, then backed the pick-up truck over a curb, as if he was about to drive through the store window, similar to other recent incidents in the area.
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Police immediately intervened, causing Barnes and Jackson to flee. They were caught a short time after. At the same time, Hewett fled in the truck, leading police on a chase through I-495.
Hewett ended up crashing near Kenilworth Avenue in Prince Georges County and was arrested after a brief foot chase. Police later found out that the truck was stolen.
A further investigation tied the three suspects to other 7-Eleven robberies that were carried out around the same time on April 30 and May 2 in the Silver Spring area.
In each of those cases, two suspects exited a pick-up truck, entered the 7-Eleven, and approached the clerks inside while the driver rammed through the store window, allowing for the suspects to load an ATM into the flatbed of the truck before driving off.
The May 2 robbery was caught on video and released by police.
All three suspects are currently being held without bond.
Detectives are working to determine if the suspects are connected to any other ATM robberies in the area. Anyone with information is urged to contact Montgomery County Police.
