Chick-fil-A Fraudster, HCC Jeans Thief, 2 Armed Robberies: Columbia Crime

COLUMBIA, MD — The Howard County Police Department provided the following information about recent incidents in Columbia. Arrests do not indicate convictions.

Fraudulent activity at a Columbia Chick-fil-A Tuesday resulted in the arrest of a 24-year-old D.C. man who was linked to similar incidents at two other Chick-fil-A locations; he faces seven theft charges. Police said the man tried to buy gift cards with a stolen credit card at the Chick-fil-A in the 6700 block of Dobbin Road as well as locations in the 4900 block of Executive Park Drive and at The Mall in Columbia in the 10300 block of Little Patuxent Parkway. The fraud on Dobbin Road was reported after 9 p.m. on Jan. 24.

A man wearing black sweatpants with yellow stripes assaulted another man at Howard Community College and demanded his jeans. The victim surrendered the jeans, and the suspect left with them from the building in the 6000 block of Scholarship Drive. Nobody was injured in the robbery, which occurred after 6 p.m. on Jan. 22. The suspect was described as a 20-year-old black man wearing a gray and black hoodie and yellow-striped black sweatpants. He was 5'10" tall and 175 pounds.

Two Columbia teens were charged with burglary after they entered a residence in the 9800 block of Rainleaf Court through a second-story sliding glass door. A witness saw the pair going into the home at 4:51 a.m. on Jan. 22. Police investigation led to the arrest of the 18-year-old from Dewlit Way and the 19-year-old from Nightmist Court.

Three teens robbed a man of his wallet in the 5400 block of Cedar Lane. Police said the man was leaning into his van at 1:59 p.m. on Jan. 21 when the trio approached him, one showed a handgun and then demanded his wallet. The suspects were described as three black men between 16 and 17 years old wearing hoodies. One had a black hoodie on while another was wearing a gray hoodie. It was unknown what the third person wore.

A man was robbed of his wallet and phone in the 6000 block of Majors Lane at 12:20 a.m. on Jan. 21. He approached an acquaintance who was with two other men, at which point one of the other men showed a handgun and stole the victim's possessions. The suspects ran away. They were described as follows:

• thin 19-year-old black man wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt
• heavy black man about 5'8" tall and 21 or 22 years old wearing a gray/white hooded sweatshirt
• thin black man about 5'11" tall and around 19 years old

The front glass door at K&S Nails was shattered in the 7000 block of Oakland Mills Road. It appeared nobody got in and nothing was taken in the burglary, which was reported at 11:16 p.m. on Jan. 20.

The side door was broken at Three Brothers in the 7100 block of Deepage Drive. The burglary occurred at 11:36 p.m. on Jan. 20. It was not clear whether anyone got in or if anything was missing.

A handgun and other pieces of property were taken from the 12000 block of Little Patuxent Parkway. The residential burglary was reported after 1 p.m. on Jan. 24. The burglar(s) got inside through a sliding door.

A TV, clothing and other items were stolen from a residence in the 6200 block of Light Point Place. The burglary was reported at 6:08 a.m. on Jan. 24.

Copper wire was stolen from a Sprint cell tower shelter in the 8800 block of Old Montgomery Road, reported at 1 p.m. on Jan. 23.

A 2014 silver Chevy Malibu with Georgia tag "056555723" was reported stolen from the 5400 block of Twin Knolls Road at approximately 10:45 a.m. on Jan. 23.

A 2003 black Mercedes station wagon with Maryland tag "5CR4538" was reported stolen at 1:23 a.m. on Jan. 23. It was not clear where the theft occurred.

Nine vehicles' windows were broken at the park and ride west lot in the 9600 block of Broken Land Parkway, reported after 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 21. It was not immediately clear whether anything was stolen.