CAPITOL HEIGHTS, MD – A female senior citizen was brutally assaulted and beaten by a group of men on March 29th and now police are hoping the public can assist in identifying them.
“The Prince George’s County Police Department is asking the community for assistance as we actively work to identify and arrest the four suspects who assaulted a senior citizen in an attempt to steal her car. The crime was caught on camera,” the department said. “On March 29, 2022, at approximately 6:40 pm, the four suspects approached the victim in her Capitol Heights neighborhood as she arrived home from running errands. The victim was pushed to the ground and the suspects demanded her car keys.”
Police said, they searched her pockets and ripped her belongings from her hands.
“When the suspects got her keys, they began to run away,” the PGPD said. “At that time, the victim ran toward a neighbor’s house for help. At this point, one of the fleeing suspects began to chase her and again tackled her to the ground. The victim suffered two broken bones during this incident. The suspects ultimately fled the area without taking her car.”
“The shameless act of violence is very sick and disturbing to me and everyone who has watched the video. Our seniors deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and not be violently accosted in our neighborhoods where we live peacefully. We need our community’s help in arresting these suspects so that they may be brought to justice and held accountable for their senseless act of violence. We are asking the community to look at this video and the pictures of the suspects and call us with information,” said Chief Malik Aziz.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Carjacking Interdiction Unit at 301-516-3788 or Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS. A cash reward of up to $2,500 is being offered.
Police said in 2022, there have been 132 reported carjackings in the county. Investigators have made 54 arrests – 37 of the arrested are juveniles and 17 are adults. Carjackings are increasing in communities across the country. In order to address a rise here in the county, the department established a Carjacking Interdiction Unit last fall. This unit centralizes carjacking investigations. Since then, the carjacking case closure rate has increased from approximately 33% to nearly 50%.
The PGPD has posted the full video to You Tube, but do to its graphic nature, was not included in this story.