Shots Fired During Armed Robbery — Stolen Jeep Cherokee Recovered Minutes Later, Suspect Arrested
- April 13, 2012
In the late afternoon of March 6, 2012, a 2001 Jeep Cherokee was stolen during an armed car-jacking, in which shots were fired at the owner, in the Woodlawn area of Baltimore County. The owner reported the crime to the Baltimore County Police Department, who quickly responded to the scene. After conducting a preliminary investigation and obtaining all the Jeep’s information, Baltimore County officers completed a vehicle theft report. They then had this information entered into the state and federal crime computer systems – a routine police action that automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed within the Jeep.
Minutes later, flight officers with the Baltimore City Aviation Unit’s Foxtrot received the Jeep’s LoJack homing signal on the LoJack Police Tracking Computer installed in their helicopter. Following the directional and audible signal on the computer, the officers tracked the Jeep to the northeast area of Baltimore City. Detectives assigned to the Regional Auto Theft Team responded and, along with the aviation unit, located the parked and unoccupied vehicle on Elwood Avenue. Officers conducted surveillance, and within minutes, a suspect entered the vehicle and drove away. The aviation unit and ground units followed and quickly stopped the Jeep. The driver was taken into custody and further investigation led detectives to the handgun used in the robbery. The undamaged vehicle was later returned to the owner.
Note: Portions of this story were obtained from the Baltimore County Police Department