Three teens were arrested Friday in connection with two robberies that occurred in February and March at businesses in the Olney area, Montgomery County police said in a press release Wednesday.
Two of the teens are 16 years old and one is 15, according to police. The release did not identify the teens.
According to police, the first incident occurred Feb. 15 at Harris Teeter in the 18100 block of Town Center Drive, police said. At approximately 7:42 p.m. officers responded to the supermarket for the report of a strong-arm robbery.
An investigation determined eight juveniles “approached” two victims, leading police to a 16-year-old as a possible suspect, the release said.
A second incident occurred March 9. At approximately 6 p.m. Officers responded to a McDonald’s restaurant in the 18000 block of Georgia Avenue for the report of an armed robbery, the release said. Investigators later learned the victims of the robbery were in the restaurant’s restroom when they were approached by three suspects.
According to police, the 16-year-old boy allegedly involved in the strong-arm robbery at Harris Teeter was one of the suspects who approached the victims in the McDonald’s bathroom.
Police Public Information Officer Casandra Tressler said in an email to Bethesda Today that in each robbery personal property was stolen from the victims.
On March 14, officers patrolling the Olney Village Shopping Center saw two of the suspects in the robberies, along with a “separate” 16-year-old, the release said. The officers “quickly apprehended” all three teens at the shopping center.
One of the 16-year-olds and the 15-year-old were “charged accordingly for the robberies,” the release said. Police did not provide the specific charges. The 15-year-old had a firearm when arrested, police said.
The other 16-year-old was also in possession of a firearm when he was apprehended, Tressler said. He was then arrested and charged with “firearm related charges.”
The two 16-year-olds were transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit in Rockville, according to police. The 15-year-old was transported to the Cheltenham Youth Detention Center in Prince George’s County.
