Two men were arrested Thursday morning by Montgomery County and Chevy Chase Village police after one of them was recorded entering a police ‘bait car’ and rummaging around inside the vehicle.
Police parked the bait car on Primrose Street in Chevy Chase Village and around 3:15 a.m. the car’s camera feed, which is streamed live to police dispatchers, showed a man open the door and enter the car.
Officers responding to the scene found the two suspects, Eric Lavon Baten, 35, of Southern Avenue in D.C. and Harrison Earl Anderson, 32, of Lanham, nearby in a yard in the 6400 block of Brookville Road. The two men attempted to run, but were captured by K9 units after a short pursuit, according to police.
A police investigation afterwards found four other cars on Primrose Street had been entered and coins and loose items were stolen from the vehicles. Items believed to have been taken from the vehicles were recovered from the two suspects, police said. Baten and Anderson were charged with breaking and entering a motor vehicle, theft, trespassing, resisting arrest and attempted theft.
Police included a video of a man who they identified as Anderson entering the vehicle in a press release.
Chevy Chase Village Police said the insurance company Geico provided the bait car to police free of charge through a grant in 2012. The car, which looks like an ordinary truck or car (police did not specify) is equipped with video and audio equipment that’s activated when it’s tampered with, police said. Geico’s corporate headquarters is located in Chevy Chase.
Police identified the suspects as Harrison Anderson, left, and Eric Baten, right. Mugshots via Chevy Chase Village Police.
