Evidence From Empty Pizza Box Helps Police Find Robbery Suspect

Image: Bershaun Bertram Elijah Wheeler (AACPD)

ODENTON, MD — A lab analysis of a pizza box left at the crime scene helped lead to the arrest Wednesday of a 19-year-old from Glen Burnie for the armed robbery of a pizza delivery driver, according to the Anne Arundel County Police Department.

Bershaun Bertram Elijah Wheeler, of 514 Crain Highway, has been charged with armed robbery, first degree assault, second degree assault, use of a firearm in a violent crime and two counts of theft under $100, the police said in a statement Thursday. The charges stem from the robbery last week of a Papa John's driver in Odenton.

The police responded to the scene of the robbery shortly after midnight Friday in the 2500 block of Blue Water Boulevard. The driver told police that after he arrived in the area to deliver a pizza, an unknown black male pointed a handgun at him and demanded the pizza and cash, which he gave to the robber. The robber then damaged the driver’s vehicle by kicking it when he didn’t leave the area quickly, according to the statement.

The police recovered the empty pizza box at the scene and quickly sent it to a crime laboratory for analysis. Police detectives "determined through forensic evidence, electronic evidence, and numerous interviews" that Wheeler is the robbery suspect, according to the statement.

The police said they took Wheeler into custody Wednesday "in the same area as the robbery." He confessed to his involvement in the heist during an interview with detectives, they added.

The Anne Arundel police are still investigating the robbery, and they're asking anyone with tips or information to contact Detective Stephanie Hinson at 410-222-6155.

You can also contact Metro Crime Stoppers:

• Call: 866-7LOCKUP (866-756-2587)
• Text: "MCS plus your message" to CRIMES (274637)
• Click: www.metrocrimestoppers.org

Phone calls are not recorded and callers remain anonymous. You may also be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.