Carjacking Targeted Ellicott City Online Seller: Police

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — Police said a man was carjacked after meeting with a prospective vehicle buyer in Ellicott City with whom he had corresponded online.

The seller met with the prospective buyer, a slim black woman who police said was 18 to 21 years old and between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 5 inches tall.

She took a test drive with seller and when he got out of the vehicle afterward, she pushed him and drove away, police allege.

The vehicle was described as a black 2006 Acura RL with Maryland dealer tag 2A09282.

The meetup occurred at 3:56 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, in the 9100 block of Baltimore National Pike.

Anyone with information may contact the Howard County Police Department at 410-313-STOP or HCPDcrimetips@howardcountymd.gov.

Safe Spaces Available For Online-To-In-Person Sales

Community members have access to "safe spaces" that police have arranged for those meeting up in person to buy or sell items they discussed online. Yellow signs mark the designated parking spaces at these locations for the safe spaces:

• Community Outreach, 10471 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia
• Northern District Station, 3410 Court House Drive, Ellicott City
• Southern District Station, 11226 Scaggsville Road, Laurel

The lobbies of all police stations in Howard County are also available for use as meetup spots.

Patch file photo.