Federal Agent Shoots Suspected Robber in Hampden

UPDATED (3:15 p.m.)—A suspected robber was shot after trying to escape from federal agents late Thursday morning. 

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Baltimore City police attempted to apprehend a group of six individuals in the 3300 block of Clipper Mill Road believed to be responsible for a series of armed robberies in the area. 

"We had information that led us to believe that they were going to commit an armed robbery today," said Marino Vidoli, acting special agent in charge of the ATF’s Baltimore office.

Agents and police converged on the area behind —a now defunct restaurant—to apprehend the six individuals. Four of them then jumped into a red car, and the driver attempted to run over the law enforcement officials. 

One of the agents fired a single shot and hit the driver of the vehicle in the right shoulder blade, Vidoli said.  After being shot, the driver continued and rammed two police vehicles that officers were using to seal in the robbers.

Following the crash, police arrested the occupants of the red car.

"We recovered five firearms and one ballistic vest. Obviously a clear indication of what these individuals were going to do today," Vidoli said.

The driver was taken to an area hospital to be treated for what were described as non-life threatening injuries.

"These were very violent individuals, who intended to do some serious harm today, and the agents and officers from Baltimore Police Department and ATF should be commended," Vidoli said.

Federal prosecutors are expected to file charges later today or tomorrow as the culmination of a three-week investigation of the suspected robbers.

Charlie Smith, who has lived in his house on Ash Street—near the scene of the shooting— for 50 years, said he wasn’t concerned about the incident.

 “What are you going to do about it? If it happens, it happens,” Smith said.

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