Police: Robbers Targeting Lake Elkhorn Pedestrians

Four robberies have been reported around Lake Elkhorn in the past month, police said Tuesday, advising citizens to be extra aware of their surroundings and to report anything suspicious to 911.

The most recent robberies occurred on Labor Day, according to a statement from the Howard County Police Department.

At 7:10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 7, a man was walking on Dockside Lane at Cradlerock Way when two young men—one armed with a handgun—demanded his belongings, the statement said. The victim complied and no injuries were reported, according to police.

The suspects were described as two young black men who had their faces partially covered and were wearing dark clothing.

A little more than an hour later, at 8:20 a.m., two men were walking in the 7300 block of Swan Point Way when “two suspects matching the same description committed the same crime with a gun,” the statement said.

Detectives are investigating whether the robberies were connected and if they were related to other street robberies in the area last month, police said.

See Also: 3 Pedestrians Robbed on Broken Land Parkway

Police said one suspect was charged in an August robbery that could be related.

Shawn Tyree Croston, 17, of the 6500 block of Sweet Fern in Columbia, was charged as an adult with two counts of armed robbery; two counts of robbery; two counts of first-degree assault; two counts of second-degree assault; conspiracy to commit armed robbery; using a firearm to commit a violent crime; and two counts of theft between $1,000 and $10,000.

Police allege that Croston was one of two suspects wearing white masks who showed a handgun and took cell phones and wallets from a pair of men walking in the 9700 block of Broken Land Parkway at 12:15 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 10.

Croston has been held without bond at the Howard County Detention Center since his arrest in the past week, and he remained in custody over Labor Day, according to police.

Officials are still investigating the second suspect in the Aug. 10 armed robbery, police reported.

Detectives are also investigating a fourth robbery as potentially connected, according to the report. In that case, a woman was robbed in the 9700 block of Broken Land Parkway at 3:20 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16. Two individuals approached her with a gun, took cash and left, according to police.

As investigators continue to probe the series of robberies, authorities encouraged citizens to be mindful in the area.

“Howard County police are alerting the public to a series of recent daytime armed robberies around Lake Elkhorn in Columbia, and are working to determine whether they may be connected,” police said in a statement Tuesday. “While detectives have made an arrest in one case, they are urging residents who walk in the area to be aware and report any suspicious activity.”

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