Armed Carjacker In Silver Spring Thwarted By Car's Manual Transmission

SILVER SPRING, MD — Montgomery County Police are investigating an attempted carjacking that occurred Monday in the parking lot at the Safeway in the 900 block of Thayer Avenue in Silver Spring, according to a police release.

An investigation by the department's Major Crimes Division determined that a man with a knife approached the victim and demanded that he hand over his car keys. The victim complied. Once the suspect got into the car, he was unable to drive away because he didn't know how to use a manual transmission, according to police. The suspect then ran off.

Police described the suspect as Black man about 20-years-old, standing 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8 in height, and weighing 130 pounds. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a dark jacket, dark pants, and a black mask, according to police.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the suspect. Callers can submit information anonymously.