Baltimore police investigate 3 separate carjackings, another dog missing
By Jenyne Donaldson
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BALTIMORE, Maryland (WBAL) — Baltimore City police are investigating three separate carjackings that happened in the city Monday afternoon.
Police said at around 10:30 a.m., a woman was forcibly thrown from her truck on Edmonson Avenue. Her dog, Lucy, was still in the car.
Officers spotted the stolen truck a short time later and tried to stop it, but the suspect sped off, ran a red light at Caton and Frederick avenues, hit a car in the nearby McDonald’s parking lot, and kept going, before crashing into a pole and a fence. Two suspects were arrested and taken to a hospital, according to police.
Police said at around 5:15 p.m., two suspects stopped a car driving in the 2800 block of Mosher Avenue. One suspect went to the driver’s side window, showed a weapon and told the driver to get out of the car. They did, and both suspects got in the car, a Chevy Cruze, and drove away.
Just five minutes later, at around 5:20 p.m., two suspects approached a victim as he left a home in the 6500 block of Eberle Drive. One of the suspects showed a weapon and demanded the victim’s car keys. The victim complied, and the suspects entered the vehicle and drove off, according to police.
There were no injuries in either of those cases.
WBAL Radio’s T.J. Smith, a former law enforcement commander, said the trending crime is a concern.
“Sadly, I call carjacking the cousin to murder. These bad guys that are doing the carjackings are carrying real guns, with real bullets, and they have shown time and time again that they are not afraid to use them,” Smith said.
Smith said you should always be aware of your surroundings to keep from becoming the next victim.
“These bad guys are not operating under the anonymity of darkness. They’re doing it in broad daylight,” he said. “I tell people all of the time, you have to keep your head on a swivel. You have to go with your gut. If you see something that doesn’t appear right and you know that this is something that’s happening, you have to pay attention.”
He listed specific things people should remember when they get to their car.
“Be prepared, get in your car, lock your car, head up, get on that phone at a different time, not sitting in your car with your head buried in it because that’s when you make yourself more susceptible to being a victim,” Smith said.
According to Baltimore City crime data, there have been 387 carjackings this year, 39 in the past 28 days and five in the past week. Police did say carjackings are down 22% for the year.
“Looking at the numbers, although there’s been a decrease throughout this year, there’s been an increase the last couple of months, so people have to be aware of their surroundings,” Smith said.
Police are still investigating. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Baltimore Police Department.
The family is offering a $1,000 reward for anyone who finds Lucy.
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