Juvenile Charged In Deadly Armed Robbery Spree: Baltimore County Police

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — One of the suspects has been charged in connection with an armed robbery spree that involved six business holdups in western Baltimore County Monday. The three suspects were shot by police when their getaway car accelerated at officers, authorities reported. One suspect later died.

Police said that Askari Francisco Gomes, 17, of the 700 block of North Edgewood Street in Baltimore, is one of two surviving suspects. The other survivor has not been identified. Both were hospitalized following the shooting.

Related: 1 Dead, 2 Injured In Armed Robbery Investigation

Police said Gomes has been charged in connection with the following crimes from Monday, March 13:

• 11:35 p.m.—Armed robbery occurred at Royal Farms in the 6400 block of Windsor Mill Road in Gwynn Oak.
• 11:30 p.m.—Police responded to Quality Inn at 1800 Belmont Avenue, Windsor Mill, where two suspects robbed the night manager at gunpoint and when he couldn't open the safe, one of the suspects allegedly pistol-whipped him. The employee was hospitalized.
• 10:43 p.m.—Officers were called to 7-Eleven in the 1100 block of North Rolling Road in Catonsville, where an employee said he was robbed by two armed suspects.
• 5 p.m.—Two suspects held up Ricky Nails in the 1700 block of North Rolling Road in Windsor Mill.
• 5 p.m.—Immediately after robbing the nail shop, the suspects robbed the adjacent Diamond Cleaners.
• 4:27 p.m.—Two suspects held up Dunkin' Donuts in the 5300 block of Baltimore National Pike near Catonsville.

As the Royals Farms robbery was being reported at 11:35 p.m., investigators allegedly saw a silver Nissan nearby, which drove at them. Both officers fired their weapons, according to police, who said they feared for their lives. The three suspects were taken to a regional hospital, where one of them later died.

Rashad Daquan Opher, 20, of the 7900 block of Galloping Circle, was pronounced deceased, police said Tuesday afternoon. Police said a handgun was found in the vehicle.

The officers who shot the two suspects were placed on administrative status and the shooting is under investigation, as is standard procedure. Body camera footage will be part of the investigation, although police said it is not being released at this time.