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Unarmed security officer shot at nightclub www.privateofficer.com
December 28, 2008
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Unarmed security officer shot at nightclub http://www.privateofficer.com
East St. Louis MO. Dec 28 2008
A security guard working at the Broadway East night club on Broadway in East St. Louis was shot in the leg early Sunday morning.
According to police, the security guard was a private duty guard hired by the club. He was not armed.
East St. Louis Police Chief Michael Baxton said an officer was patrolling the area about 4:45 a.m. when he noticed an altercation in progress at the club.
According to police, the security guard was a private duty guard hired by the club. He was not armed.
East St. Louis Police Chief Michael Baxton said an officer was patrolling the area about 4:45 a.m. when he noticed an altercation in progress at the club.
“A few seconds later, he heard gunshots and saw a red Lincoln Navigator driving off the parking lot at a high rate of speed,” said Baxton. “The officer pursued the car briefly.”
Baxton said the driver drove onto the Eads Bridge and into St. Louis. The officer terminated the pursuit on the bridge and notified the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department that the vehicle was traveling into the city at a high rate of speed.
The officer returned to the club where he found the security guard had been shot in the leg, Baxton said.
The security guard was taken to a hospital for treatment for the bullet wound, which was not considered to be life-threatening.
Baxton said police were conducting interviews with potential witnesses and reviewing surveillance tape at the club to try to identify the gunman.
The shooting is the second in recent days at nightclubs in East St. Louis.
A patron was shot inside Blackmon’s VIP Lounge at 127 Collinsville Ave. on Friday. The shooter in that incident has not been apprehended. Between 300-400 people were inside of the business at the time of the shooting. No one else was injured.
“We’re going to be aggressively monitoring these nightclubs,” Baxton said. “It is our duty to make sure that the city is as safe as possible for patrons and visitors and that is what we’re working to do.”
Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. has ordered the club closed for seven days. He also said a hearing with the club owner, J. C. Blackmon, will follow a police investigation.
Baxton said the driver drove onto the Eads Bridge and into St. Louis. The officer terminated the pursuit on the bridge and notified the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department that the vehicle was traveling into the city at a high rate of speed.
The officer returned to the club where he found the security guard had been shot in the leg, Baxton said.
The security guard was taken to a hospital for treatment for the bullet wound, which was not considered to be life-threatening.
Baxton said police were conducting interviews with potential witnesses and reviewing surveillance tape at the club to try to identify the gunman.
The shooting is the second in recent days at nightclubs in East St. Louis.
A patron was shot inside Blackmon’s VIP Lounge at 127 Collinsville Ave. on Friday. The shooter in that incident has not been apprehended. Between 300-400 people were inside of the business at the time of the shooting. No one else was injured.
“We’re going to be aggressively monitoring these nightclubs,” Baxton said. “It is our duty to make sure that the city is as safe as possible for patrons and visitors and that is what we’re working to do.”
Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. has ordered the club closed for seven days. He also said a hearing with the club owner, J. C. Blackmon, will follow a police investigation.
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OFFICER DOWN MICHIGAN www.privateofficer.com
December 28, 2008
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OFFICER DOWN MICHIGAN http://www.privateofficer.com
Police Officer Mason Samborsky
Oak Park Police Department Michigan
End of Watch: Sunday, December 28, 2008
Biographical InfoAge: 28
Biographical InfoAge: 28
Tour of Duty: 4 years
Incident Details Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Sunday, December 28, 2008
Weapon Used: Gun
Suspect Info: At large
Officer Mason Samborsky was shot and killed while conducting an investigation following a traffic stop. He had a stopped a juvenile suspect and took him to a nearby apartment complex in connection with an investigation.After arriving at the location a struggle ensued in which Officer Samborsky was fatally shot. The suspect fled the scene with his service weapon and remains at large.
Officer Samborsky had served with the agency for 4 years. He is survived by his wife and child.
Agency Contact Information;
Oak Park Police Department
13600 Oak Park Boulevard
Oak Park, MI 48237
Phone: (248) 691-7520
Please contact the Oak Park Police Department for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.
Categories: OFFICER DOWN, police
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OFFICER DOWN Avon Park Fla. www.privateofficer.com
December 28, 2008
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OFFICER DOWN Avon Park Fla. http://www.privateofficer.com
Avon Park Fla. Dec 28 2008
Sgt. Marc Wilbur, 43, of Avon Park Police Department died approximately 8:30 a.m. Christmas morning at the Winn Dixie shopping plaza parking lot in his patrol car with a trainee when he “fell unconscious,” after he began his shift at 6:00 a.m. He was accompanied by a police officer trainee who notified emergency dispatch that he collapsed.
EMS responded and attempted to revive him with cardiopulmonary resuscitation but were unsuccessful. He was transported by Highlands County Emergency Medical Services to Florida Hospital Heartland Division, where he was pronounced dead at 9:00 a.m.
Sgt. Marc Wilbur, 43, of Avon Park Police Department died approximately 8:30 a.m. Christmas morning at the Winn Dixie shopping plaza parking lot in his patrol car with a trainee when he “fell unconscious,” after he began his shift at 6:00 a.m. He was accompanied by a police officer trainee who notified emergency dispatch that he collapsed.
EMS responded and attempted to revive him with cardiopulmonary resuscitation but were unsuccessful. He was transported by Highlands County Emergency Medical Services to Florida Hospital Heartland Division, where he was pronounced dead at 9:00 a.m.
Sgt. Wilbur is the first Avon Park Police officer to die while on duty. Sgt. Wilbur was a state certified K-9 instructor holding certification courses for the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, Polk County and the city of North Port K-9 teams.
In 2006 Wilbur and his 7-year-old partner “Ivan” were the cream of the crop after beating out fifty other K9 teams from across the country in the annual Bomb and Narcotics Detection Seminar held in Daytona in 2006 where canine teams from as far away as Bahamas competed. In 2004 Sgt. Wilbur and Ivan took second place in the National Drug Detection Seminar put on by the Southern Hills Kennels, Inc, in Daytona. Prior to handling Ivan, Sgt. Wilbur handled K9 partner “Sando”, who had numerous arrests to his credit. Sgt Wilbur served as a law enforcement officer for Avon Park Police Department for twelve years. Before that he served with Falmouth Police Department in Massachusetts and as a deputy sheriff with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and police officer for Frostproof Police Department in Florida. His career spanned a total of nearly 20 years.
Wilbur is survived by his his son Adam, 7. Memorial contributions can be made to the trust fund set up for his son Adam Wilbur by contacting the Avon Park Police Department.
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Categories: OFFICER DOWN, police
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Best Buy employee charged with theft over $10,000 www.privateofficer.com
December 28, 2008
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Best Buy employee charged with theft over $10,000 http://www.privateofficer.com
Fort Smith Ark. Dec 28 2008 – An 18-year old Best Buy employee faces theft charges after store officials discovered more than $10,000 worth of electronic products were missing, according to a Fort Smith police report.
Gary Brown Jr. of Van Buren was arrested Sunday on a charge of felony theft. Officials at the Best Buy at 4195 Phoenix Ave. told police that over the past three weeks, 39 iPods, two cell phones, a laptop computer and a digital camera were taken.
Brown has been released from the Sebastian County jail on a $3,500 bond. It couldn’t be determined Wednesday if formal charges have been filed.
The police report listed six other Best Buy employees as suspects, but no other arrests have been made, according to police records.
Police spokesman Sgt. Levi Risley said one of the suspects, Cory Evans, 18, of Muldrow, Okla., was arrested Sunday on an unrelated felony shoplifting charge that also involved Best Buy merchandise. Jail records show he was released Sunday after posting a $1,500 bond.
The police report stated Brown admitted taking several items. He said he unloaded trucks at the store and would put items in an empty box and throw it into a large trash compactor. When the compactor was full, he would climb in to collapse the boxes in it and would place the stashed items in his pockets and leave with them.
He said he sold many of the items.
Brown told officers he threw the items into the compactor because he knew there were surveillance cameras in the loading area but that inside the compactor was out of their range.
Store officials became suspicious because products ordered were missing, the report said. Surveillance camera footage showed suspicious activity, but the thefts were not witnessed because there were no cameras in the compactor.
Gary Brown Jr. of Van Buren was arrested Sunday on a charge of felony theft. Officials at the Best Buy at 4195 Phoenix Ave. told police that over the past three weeks, 39 iPods, two cell phones, a laptop computer and a digital camera were taken.
Brown has been released from the Sebastian County jail on a $3,500 bond. It couldn’t be determined Wednesday if formal charges have been filed.
The police report listed six other Best Buy employees as suspects, but no other arrests have been made, according to police records.
Police spokesman Sgt. Levi Risley said one of the suspects, Cory Evans, 18, of Muldrow, Okla., was arrested Sunday on an unrelated felony shoplifting charge that also involved Best Buy merchandise. Jail records show he was released Sunday after posting a $1,500 bond.
The police report stated Brown admitted taking several items. He said he unloaded trucks at the store and would put items in an empty box and throw it into a large trash compactor. When the compactor was full, he would climb in to collapse the boxes in it and would place the stashed items in his pockets and leave with them.
He said he sold many of the items.
Brown told officers he threw the items into the compactor because he knew there were surveillance cameras in the loading area but that inside the compactor was out of their range.
Store officials became suspicious because products ordered were missing, the report said. Surveillance camera footage showed suspicious activity, but the thefts were not witnessed because there were no cameras in the compactor.
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Categories: loss prevention, police, security made app/arrest
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Shoplifter beats security agent with night stand www.privateofficer.com
December 28, 2008
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Shoplifter beats security agent with night stand http://www.privateofficer.com
Dover Del Dec 28 2008
By: Bryan Hill
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
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Authorities arrested a 19-year-old Dover woman after a shoplifting incident gone bad. Police said that the suspect is accused of attacking a store security agent after trying to steal numerous pieces of clothing and trying to flee from security.
According to store security at the TJ Maxx on US 13, Samantha Spruance of the 3000 block of McKee Road was caught taking the clothing at about 6:30 p.m. Friday and security attempted to stop her from leaving the store according to Lt. Steve Getek, a Dover police spokesman.
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
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Authorities arrested a 19-year-old Dover woman after a shoplifting incident gone bad. Police said that the suspect is accused of attacking a store security agent after trying to steal numerous pieces of clothing and trying to flee from security.
According to store security at the TJ Maxx on US 13, Samantha Spruance of the 3000 block of McKee Road was caught taking the clothing at about 6:30 p.m. Friday and security attempted to stop her from leaving the store according to Lt. Steve Getek, a Dover police spokesman.
When a security officer tried to stop Spruance, she shoved and tried to punch him, Getek said. She then grabbed a night stand and struck the employee, causing minor injuries, he said. Spruance then tried to run out of the store but was subdued and restrained by the security agent until police arrived.Spruance is now charged with robbery, assault and two other offenses and is being held on $3,350 bond.
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Categories: loss prevention, police, security made app/arrest, security officer injured
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Alert shopper aids security, police in arrest of burglars www.privateofficer.com
December 28, 2008
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Alert shopper aids security, police in arrest of burglars http://www.privateofficer.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. Dec 28 2008
BY: Rick McCann
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com—Police say that an alert shopper noticed several people breaking into a vehicle at an area mall and notified the security officers which lead to the capture of three suspects.
Northlake Mall security notified Charlotte police of the burglary in progress and officers immediately responded to the mall to assist security officers.
The mall’s general manager, Phil Morosco, said that when the security officer approached the men, they ran. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police arrived shortly with their K-9 unit and was able to track one of the suspects who were hiding in the woods behind the mall.
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com—Police say that an alert shopper noticed several people breaking into a vehicle at an area mall and notified the security officers which lead to the capture of three suspects.
Northlake Mall security notified Charlotte police of the burglary in progress and officers immediately responded to the mall to assist security officers.
The mall’s general manager, Phil Morosco, said that when the security officer approached the men, they ran. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police arrived shortly with their K-9 unit and was able to track one of the suspects who were hiding in the woods behind the mall.
Morosco said the other two men slipped into the mall and tried to blend in with hundreds of shoppers at the mall for the after-Christmas sales but their plan didn’t work because security officers were following them on cameras as they directed mall security and police to their locations and they were arrested.
“They were able to keep an eye on the guy who went into the woods,” said Morosco, pointing to a camera overlooking the parking lot. “And since we had a description of the two, we have cameras all through the inside of the center… so we just followed them all around the center until we were able to locate them and then arrest them.”
Morosco said one of the men was let go because police couldn’t find evidence he was involved in the break-in. Information was later developed implicating the man, and a warrant has been sworn for his arrest.
Police did say that two purses and some clothes were stolen in the break-in. The victim’s front driver’s side door lock was damaged to allow entry into the car. It wasn’t indicated on the police report if the property had been recovered or not.
Police did not release the names of those arrested and the original good Samaritan’s name was also not available in the police report.
“They were able to keep an eye on the guy who went into the woods,” said Morosco, pointing to a camera overlooking the parking lot. “And since we had a description of the two, we have cameras all through the inside of the center… so we just followed them all around the center until we were able to locate them and then arrest them.”
Morosco said one of the men was let go because police couldn’t find evidence he was involved in the break-in. Information was later developed implicating the man, and a warrant has been sworn for his arrest.
Police did say that two purses and some clothes were stolen in the break-in. The victim’s front driver’s side door lock was damaged to allow entry into the car. It wasn’t indicated on the police report if the property had been recovered or not.
Police did not release the names of those arrested and the original good Samaritan’s name was also not available in the police report.
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Categories: police, security, security made app/arrest
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UPS employee charged with theft www.privateofficer.com
December 28, 2008
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UPS employee charged with theft http://www.privateofficer.com
COLLIER COUNTY Fla Dec 28 2008 A UPS employee was arrested and charged for allegedly stealing computers and other items from packages shipped through the store at 971 Commercial Boulevard.
Arrest reports say Eric Alexander McComas, 21, stole two Dell laptop computers valued at $860 and $400, a Dell flat panel monitor valued at $105 and a Bose speaker system valued at $299.
Reports say the thefts happened on December 5th and December 18th. McComas allegedly was sorting packages and when he found the boxes containing the items, he opened the boxes.
The speakers were sold to Capital Pawn Superstore, according to arrest reports.
McComas has been charged with grand theft, dealing in stolen property, defrauding a pawn broker and petty theft.
Arrest reports say Eric Alexander McComas, 21, stole two Dell laptop computers valued at $860 and $400, a Dell flat panel monitor valued at $105 and a Bose speaker system valued at $299.
Reports say the thefts happened on December 5th and December 18th. McComas allegedly was sorting packages and when he found the boxes containing the items, he opened the boxes.
The speakers were sold to Capital Pawn Superstore, according to arrest reports.
McComas has been charged with grand theft, dealing in stolen property, defrauding a pawn broker and petty theft.
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Categories: police, security
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Retail Security News Round-Up www.privateofficer.com
December 28, 2008
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Retail Security News Round-Up http://www.privateofficer.com
Atlanta GA. Dec 28 2008
Retail Security News Round-Up
SOUTHFIELD MI.
A 37-year-old woman from Detroit was arrested after being naughty in a Target Store in Southfield.
The woman was arrested about 4:15 p.m. Thursday after store security officers said she tried to use a counterfeit $100 bill to pay for $20 worth of merchandize, according to Lt. Nick Loussia. The suspect was turned over to Southfield Police, who found several other counterfeit bills in her possession, he said.
The U.S. Secret Service, the federal agency that oversees counterfeit currency cases, was called. “They will assist us in this case,” Loussia said.
The woman was not identified pending her arraignment in 46th District Court.
A 37-year-old woman from Detroit was arrested after being naughty in a Target Store in Southfield.
The woman was arrested about 4:15 p.m. Thursday after store security officers said she tried to use a counterfeit $100 bill to pay for $20 worth of merchandize, according to Lt. Nick Loussia. The suspect was turned over to Southfield Police, who found several other counterfeit bills in her possession, he said.
The U.S. Secret Service, the federal agency that oversees counterfeit currency cases, was called. “They will assist us in this case,” Loussia said.
The woman was not identified pending her arraignment in 46th District Court.
Rome GA. Rome Police arrested two Wednesday on shoplifting, drug and resiting arrest charges after Wal-Mart employees found one suspect had taken merchandise, reports stated.
Oscar Blaine Crosby, 45, of 7246 Rockmart Hwy. in Silver Creek and Bobby Joe Tidwell, 23, of 1252 Plesant Valley Road in Silver Creek, were both arrested at the West Rome Wal-Mart on Redmond Circle after Crosby was suspected of shoplifting.
When police approached the two, sitting in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart in a white Ford Taurus, Crosby resisted arrest and ran from police into the woods behind the store after being pepper sprayed in the right eye.
The two remained at the Floyd County Jail this morning with no bail, with Crosby facing charges of theft by shoplifting and obstruction or hindering law enforcement officers along with a hold for Chattooga County.
Tidwell remains with no bail on felony possession of methamphetamines and a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug related objects.
Buffalo NY A man and a 13-year-old accomplice were arrested Thursday for allegedly trying to shoplift more than $1,700 worth of video games and DVDs from Target on Delaware Avenue, police said.
Target security alerted police to the alleged theft. Officials said the suspect, Craig M. Moss, 25, of Fenton Street, entered the store with the girl, whose name was not released.
Moss allegedly loaded up a plastic storage container placed inside a shopping cart with goods, then left the store.
Moss was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny and endangering the welfare of a child. The girl was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny.
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY Fla — A suspected shoplifter threatened a loss prevention officer with a pruning tool, then ran into another store where deputies found him hiding behind a stack of shoes, according to an Indian River County Sheriff’s Office report.
Javoris Ladarius Thorpes, 18, of the 1600 block of 30th Avenue, was charged Tuesday with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shoplifting, resisting arrest and resisting a merchant. He was being held in lieu of $9,000 bail at the Indian River County Jail.
A Dillard’s loss prevention officer spotted Thorpes at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday trying to leave the store at the Indian River Mall with two pairs of jeans stuffed into a handbag, the arrest affidavit said. The officer approached Thorpes, who threatened the man with a pruning tool and fled, the report said.
While running through the mall parking lot, an off-duty Sheriff’s dispatcher said she spotted Thorpes and warned him to stop as he fled into the wooded area in the 6300 block of 20th Street. Thorpes later emerged from the woods and went into a home goods store east of the mall. Deputies said Thorpes noticed them and ducked behind a stack of shoes.
Deputies later found Thorpes’ handbag with the jeans and the pruning tool.
FRAMINGHAM MA
A pair of Dorchester siblings Monday went on a shoplifting spree at Walmart while their unknowing mother shopped, police said.
Police arrested Chantaylor R. Perkins-King, 21, and her brother, Demounte D. Perkins-King, 17, at 11:55 a.m. after store security caught them leaving with shopping carts full of stolen items, Lt. Paul Shastany said.
The pair stole a combined $746 worth of items, with the most expensive being a $45 camera, the lieutenant said.
Other stolen items included hooded sweatshirts, jeans, an umbrella, bras, several packages of panties, knit pants, several sets of headphones, some knives, socks, a belt, purses, a wallet and a DVD.
The duo went to the store with their mother and Chantaylor’s children. The mother and her grandchildren got separated from the siblings, who store security said started filling their carriages.
Investigators do not believe the mother was involved.
“She said if she knew what was happening, she would have stopped it,” Shastany said.
The duo, both of 225 Norfolk St., were both charged with larceny of property worth more than $250.
Both were released without bail after pleading not guilty in Framingham District Court yesterday. They are due back in court on Jan. 26 for a pretrial conference.
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Categories: loss prevention, police, security made app/arrest, security officer injured
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Kidnap victim pounces on gunman, saves family www.privateofficer.com
December 28, 2008
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Kidnap victim pounces on gunman, saves family http://www.privateofficer.com
Washington DC Dec 28 2008
washingtonpost.com
Speeding on the Capital Beltway, James Spruill knew he had to act fast. His wife and boys were packed into the family car, and a masked man was in the back seat, jabbing a loaded gun into his 11-year-old son’s ribs.
Twelve hours earlier, two gunmen had forced their way into his Prince George’s County home. Spruill said they tied him and his wife up with cords from a clock radio and a PlayStation, holding them overnight in separate bedrooms and keeping the two children in a third. The men had said they would hold the boys hostage and use his wife, an assistant bank manager, to rob her branch in the morning.
“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” Spruill said. “A lot of times, criminals don’t leave witnesses.”
Spruill had gotten lucky once. The gunmen allowed him to drive to the bank. Then, about 7:30 a.m. yesterday, within a few miles of the target, Spruill got another break: In his rearview mirror, he saw a Maryland State Police car approaching quickly on the Beltway’s outer loop near Route 1.
Spruill, 40, began to swerve his red Mitsubishi Gallant slightly. The one gunman who accompanied them didn’t notice — but Trooper Barrington Cameron did.
Cameron, a 22-year-old rookie, pulled the car over and walked to the passenger side, where Spruill’s wife was seated. Spruill glanced back at his son, tilting his head to motion the boy away from the gunman.
In an instant, Spruill was in the back seat, pinning the man’s hands and screaming about the gun. The trooper pulled his weapon, and the ordeal was over.
Late yesterday, the suspect was in custody and a search was on for the other man. Spruill, a maintenance worker with Metro, his wife and children — the 11-year-old and his 8-year-old brother — were back in their home in Clinton, shaken but unhurt
He put his family first, jumping on the guy with the gun,” said Lt. Carl Miller, commander of the College Park barracks. “He did what most people would have done with their families bound up like that. Whether they would have done it to that degree, I don’t know.”
Spruill described the ordeal in an interview, denying the mantle of hero but saying he played “psychological games” with his family’s abductors and gained advantages that made the difference.
“They were a bunch of amateurs,” he said.
The attempted bank robbery, though unusual, comes three months after a similar attempted robbery in Southern Maryland. Both involved a scheme taken straight from the plot of Hollywood thrillers.
Police said yesterday that the assailants timed their attack as the 39-year-old woman returned home from her bank, a SunTrust branch in Silver Spring. At 7:30 p.m., as she entered the house in the 6800 block of Briarcliff Drive, they pounced.
Spruill said he was in the bedroom, preparing for work, when his wife called out. He rushed to the front room, where he saw two men wearing ski masks, one holding a gun to his wife’s head. The men tied up the husband and wife, separating them, and forced the boys into their parents’ bedroom.
The assailants spoke to their hostages in English but communicated with each other in Spanish. Spruill, bound in one of the boy’s bedrooms, said he stayed awake all night, planning and listening as the men rummaged through his kitchen.
“It was like in the movies,” he said. “You just had to think it all through and figure it out. I wanted to keep us all together.”
In the morning, the assailants said one of them would stay at the house with the boys while the other went to the bank with Spruill and his wife.
Spruill fabricated a story to keep the family together. He told the men that his aunt was expected to visit that morning. He told them that if he was forced to call her to cancel the visit, he would find a way to let her know the family was in danger.
The assailants were fooled into changing their plan. The whole family would go to the bank, they decided. But there wasn’t room for both would-be robbers in the car, so one would stay behind.
They headed for the bank, at Elton Road and New Hampshire Avenue. Spruill sped for much of 25 miles, hoping to get pulled over.
When Cameron flipped his lights on, the assailant pulled off his mask, showing his face for the first time. He instructed Spruill to tell the officer that they were headed to breakfast together
On the right shoulder, approaching on the side away from traffic, Cameron asked for his license. Trying to alert the trooper that something was amiss, Spruill handed him his bank card. Cameron had by then noticed that someone in the back seat was making “suspicious movements,” police said.
Cameron asked for his license again. Spruill unbuckled his seat belt and lunged.
After the traffic stop, state police and Prince George’s police surrounded the house, concerned that the second assailant might have a hostage inside. About four hours later, police stormed into the house, finding
Detectives spent part of yesterday working with county police and federal authorities to identify the suspect apprehended in the car. He gave state police interrogators multiple names after his arrest, and police initially described him only as in his teens or early 20s.
About five hours after he was taken to the College Park barracks, the suspect attempted to hang himself by tying his shirt around his neck and to his cell door, police said.
Miller, the commander of the barracks, said the suspect was spotted quickly and cut down by a duty officer before he suffered any injuries. Miller said he was being held overnight at Prince George’s County Hospital Center for a psychological evaluation.
Miller said little is known about the second assailant. He was described as black, 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds and was last seen wearing dark pants and black hooded sweat shirt.
A state police forensics team spent several hours combing through the family’s home. Miller said those samples had not led to an identification last night.
On Sept. 24, a Southern Maryland bank manager and her two young children were abducted at gunpoint from their home. The suspects drove the woman to the PNC Bank she managed in St. Mary’s County and held one of her children hostage while she went inside to get money out of the vault.
The next month, police charged three men and a woman, alleging that they secretly followed the bank manager for several weeks and planned the abduction and robbery. Police recovered about $110,000 of the $168,000 stolen, much of it buried in two safes in the back yard of one of the suspects.
washingtonpost.com
Speeding on the Capital Beltway, James Spruill knew he had to act fast. His wife and boys were packed into the family car, and a masked man was in the back seat, jabbing a loaded gun into his 11-year-old son’s ribs.
Twelve hours earlier, two gunmen had forced their way into his Prince George’s County home. Spruill said they tied him and his wife up with cords from a clock radio and a PlayStation, holding them overnight in separate bedrooms and keeping the two children in a third. The men had said they would hold the boys hostage and use his wife, an assistant bank manager, to rob her branch in the morning.
“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” Spruill said. “A lot of times, criminals don’t leave witnesses.”
Spruill had gotten lucky once. The gunmen allowed him to drive to the bank. Then, about 7:30 a.m. yesterday, within a few miles of the target, Spruill got another break: In his rearview mirror, he saw a Maryland State Police car approaching quickly on the Beltway’s outer loop near Route 1.
Spruill, 40, began to swerve his red Mitsubishi Gallant slightly. The one gunman who accompanied them didn’t notice — but Trooper Barrington Cameron did.
Cameron, a 22-year-old rookie, pulled the car over and walked to the passenger side, where Spruill’s wife was seated. Spruill glanced back at his son, tilting his head to motion the boy away from the gunman.
In an instant, Spruill was in the back seat, pinning the man’s hands and screaming about the gun. The trooper pulled his weapon, and the ordeal was over.
Late yesterday, the suspect was in custody and a search was on for the other man. Spruill, a maintenance worker with Metro, his wife and children — the 11-year-old and his 8-year-old brother — were back in their home in Clinton, shaken but unhurt
He put his family first, jumping on the guy with the gun,” said Lt. Carl Miller, commander of the College Park barracks. “He did what most people would have done with their families bound up like that. Whether they would have done it to that degree, I don’t know.”
Spruill described the ordeal in an interview, denying the mantle of hero but saying he played “psychological games” with his family’s abductors and gained advantages that made the difference.
“They were a bunch of amateurs,” he said.
The attempted bank robbery, though unusual, comes three months after a similar attempted robbery in Southern Maryland. Both involved a scheme taken straight from the plot of Hollywood thrillers.
Police said yesterday that the assailants timed their attack as the 39-year-old woman returned home from her bank, a SunTrust branch in Silver Spring. At 7:30 p.m., as she entered the house in the 6800 block of Briarcliff Drive, they pounced.
Spruill said he was in the bedroom, preparing for work, when his wife called out. He rushed to the front room, where he saw two men wearing ski masks, one holding a gun to his wife’s head. The men tied up the husband and wife, separating them, and forced the boys into their parents’ bedroom.
The assailants spoke to their hostages in English but communicated with each other in Spanish. Spruill, bound in one of the boy’s bedrooms, said he stayed awake all night, planning and listening as the men rummaged through his kitchen.
“It was like in the movies,” he said. “You just had to think it all through and figure it out. I wanted to keep us all together.”
In the morning, the assailants said one of them would stay at the house with the boys while the other went to the bank with Spruill and his wife.
Spruill fabricated a story to keep the family together. He told the men that his aunt was expected to visit that morning. He told them that if he was forced to call her to cancel the visit, he would find a way to let her know the family was in danger.
The assailants were fooled into changing their plan. The whole family would go to the bank, they decided. But there wasn’t room for both would-be robbers in the car, so one would stay behind.
They headed for the bank, at Elton Road and New Hampshire Avenue. Spruill sped for much of 25 miles, hoping to get pulled over.
When Cameron flipped his lights on, the assailant pulled off his mask, showing his face for the first time. He instructed Spruill to tell the officer that they were headed to breakfast together
On the right shoulder, approaching on the side away from traffic, Cameron asked for his license. Trying to alert the trooper that something was amiss, Spruill handed him his bank card. Cameron had by then noticed that someone in the back seat was making “suspicious movements,” police said.
Cameron asked for his license again. Spruill unbuckled his seat belt and lunged.
After the traffic stop, state police and Prince George’s police surrounded the house, concerned that the second assailant might have a hostage inside. About four hours later, police stormed into the house, finding
Detectives spent part of yesterday working with county police and federal authorities to identify the suspect apprehended in the car. He gave state police interrogators multiple names after his arrest, and police initially described him only as in his teens or early 20s.
About five hours after he was taken to the College Park barracks, the suspect attempted to hang himself by tying his shirt around his neck and to his cell door, police said.
Miller, the commander of the barracks, said the suspect was spotted quickly and cut down by a duty officer before he suffered any injuries. Miller said he was being held overnight at Prince George’s County Hospital Center for a psychological evaluation.
Miller said little is known about the second assailant. He was described as black, 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds and was last seen wearing dark pants and black hooded sweat shirt.
A state police forensics team spent several hours combing through the family’s home. Miller said those samples had not led to an identification last night.
On Sept. 24, a Southern Maryland bank manager and her two young children were abducted at gunpoint from their home. The suspects drove the woman to the PNC Bank she managed in St. Mary’s County and held one of her children hostage while she went inside to get money out of the vault.
The next month, police charged three men and a woman, alleging that they secretly followed the bank manager for several weeks and planned the abduction and robbery. Police recovered about $110,000 of the $168,000 stolen, much of it buried in two safes in the back yard of one of the suspects.
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