New details in light rail robberies
I just got some new information on the spate of robberies at light rail stations. More details will be released at a news conference scheduled for this afternoon.
Police have arrested one adult and juveniles in connection with at least eight robberies of light rail patrons on platforms in South Baltimore. Col. John E. Gavrilis, chief of the Mass Transit Administration police, said the attacks occurred at stations in Cherry Hill and on Patapsco Avenue between May 23 and June 19.
Gavrilis said one robbery involved a gun, two were purse snatchings and others involved threats. He said the suspects waited at the stations until a train arrived and then picked victims as they departed the cars and as they left the station.
Authorities have not yet explained why they didn't notify the public of the attacks; they typically like to keep details secret while they investigate and Gavrilis told me that undercover officers were working the area to catch the people responsible.
But light rail rider Emily Shrift of Annapolis told The Sun's Michael Dresser, who writes the Getting There blog, that she is concerned by the lack of information. “I find it very disturbing that the MTA didn’t notify the public of this spate of robberies,” she said.
Gravrilis called to update: he said his officers informed riders and community residents after the second robbery, and that one person who lives near one of the stations offered her front porch for undercover police surveillance.
Comments
What's particularly disturbing is that these robberies were occurring through Artscape, where ridership (presumably) is up, especially among families and young people. Of course, this may also explain why the MTA was reluctant to notify the public.
Posted by: John | July 27, 2010 12:44 PM
That is such crap... They didn't want to tell people because they didn't want to deter tourist from coming to the festival. Just wait until one of these things goes wrong and someone gets killed in a botched or over aggressive attempt to steal a purse or a wallet- wait that just happened to that poor young man at Hopkins. This city is utterly remarkable in their ability to rationalize every ounce of their own ad behavior.
Posted by: Such Crap | July 27, 2010 3:36 PM
Are you two serious? You guys really believe someone in the city or state made a decision not to inform the public about a crime wave so that they could keep the numbers up for artscape? You guys need to get a job or something because these conspiracy theories are not going to pay the bills.
Posted by: John | July 27, 2010 5:24 PM
There's no reason to make a big deal out of a few kids misbehaving. From all accounts, the juveniles are good kids who got mixed up in a bad crowd. These youths should not have their lives ruined because of a little mistake. This is just another example of why we need to stop cutting youth programs in our communities. These programs keep good kids like this from straying into trouble. Ehrlich was the worst for cutting these much needed programs, which is why we must keep him out of office this election.
Posted by: Leroy | July 28, 2010 8:23 PM
May 23 and June 19.
This is not during Artscape.
Posted by: Jeff | July 28, 2010 10:43 PM
Good Kids? You are being sarcastic right? Let me tell You, I grew up in this city and We did not have any youth activities and I did not go around robbing people of Thier belongings. These are not Good Kids these are thugs and should be treated as such. This is why They progress into Murderers because They only get a slap on the wrist and called Good Kid's in the wrong crowd. And lets not blame it on the politicians, lets blame it on the Parents for not disciplining Them.
Posted by: BillyJ255 | July 29, 2010 4:58 AM
Leroy, you're an idiot and a fool. I'm pretty darn sure that 90% of these "kids" you call "good that got mixed up in a bad crowd" have a rap sheet long and wide, and, will ultimately end up in prison for a variety of offenses down the road. A few will no doubt end up killing some poor innocent souls as well. Wake up you moron.
Posted by: Miles Rosen | July 29, 2010 9:28 AM