Bethesda Man Charged For Rockville Armed Carjacking

ROCKVILLE, MD — Montgomery County Police arrested a Bethesda man for an armed carjacking in broad daylight in Rockville, and an armed robbery of a 7-Eleven store in Glen Echo, police announced Wednesday.

Michael Gainer Rothenberg, 27, of Buxton Terrace in Bethesda was charged with armed carjacking and armed robbery of a business, police said.

At about 5 p.m. March 1, officers responded to the report of a carjacking that had just occurred in the parking lot of the Barnes and Noble at 12089 Rockville Pike.

Further investigation revealed that Rothenberg approached the victim at her 2004 Lexus, displayed a black handgun and ordered the victim to drop her car keys and bag on the ground, police said. The woman complied and Rothenberg gathered her keys and bag and fled the scene in the woman's Lexus.

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On Monday, March 6, detectives were notified by the Howard County Police Department that their officers recovered the 2004 Lexus, police said. Through investigation, police determined that Rothenberg got into a car accident while driving the stolen vehicle. He then abandoned the Lexus, police said.

The Lexus was recovered by the Howard County Police Department and a check of the vehicle’s registration revealed that it has been stolen from Montgomery County, police said.

Howard County Police detectives also conducted a search of the recovered Lexus and located Rothenberg's driver’s license inside the car and a receipt from a pawn store that documented that a musical instrument had been pawned for money, police said. Montgomery County Police detectives noted that an instrument was in the Lexus when it was stolen from the Barnes and Noble parking lot.

At around 9 p.m. March 4, Rothenberg entered the 7-Eleven at 7305 MacArthur Blvd. and pointed a handgun at the clerk, police said.

Rothenberg demanded money and ordered the store clerk to place cash from the registers into a store bag. Rothenberg then fled the store with the cash, police said.

Howard County Police officers located and arrested Rothenberg on March 6 for crimes committed in their jurisdiction, and Montgomery County Police detectives responded to Howard County and interviewed Rothenberg.

Police claim Rothenberg confessed to his involvement in both the carjacking and the armed robbery of the 7-Eleven.

Photo: Montgomery County Police