3 Charged In Armed Robberies Of Rockville, Bethesda AT&T Stores

ROCKVILLE, MD — Montgomery County Police arrested three men in connection from the Aug. 18 robberies of two AT&T stores, one in Rockville and the other in Bethesda, according to a police release.

Officers responded around round 8:58 p.m., for the report of a robbery at the AT&T store located in the 12000 block of Rockville Pike in Rockville.

During their investigation, police determined that three suspects entered the store, showed that they had a handgun, and used it to hit a victim on the head. They then forced the employees into the rear office and storage area and demanded the employees open the safe.

In addition to stealing the store's nightly cash deposit, the suspects left with large laundry-style bags filled with iPhones, iWatches, tablets and AirPods, according to police.

Through their investigation, police identified 27-year-old Jalonte Malik Cole, 28-year-old Sammie David Smith, and 25-year-old Rayvon Marquis Drayton as the suspects in the Rockville robbery. They also identified the three as the suspects wanted in connection with the robbery of an AT&T store in the 4900 block of Elm Street in Bethesda earlier that same day.

When Cole, Smith and Drayton were arrested on Aug. 19, police found that they were in possession of two handguns and a large amount of cash, according to the release.

Cole, Smith and Drayton were taken to the Central Processing Unit and charged with two counts of armed robbery, two counts of first-degree assault and firearm related charges. Drayton is being held without bond, while Cole and Smith were released on bond.

Anyone with information about the two armed robberies is asked to contact the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070, or contact Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Callers may remain anonymous.