Surveillance footage helps officers solve hotel lobby robbery
WASHINGTON, DC — A man accused of reaching into a hotel cash register and struggling with an employee before fleeing with stolen money has been arrested days after the robbery unfolded inside a Northwest Washington hotel lobby, police said.
The incident happened Friday, May 8, around 8:47 p.m. at a hotel in the 1200 block of 13th Street Northwest, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Investigators said the suspect entered the hotel lobby and approached an unattended front desk counter.
Police allege the suspect then reached over the counter, opened the cash register drawer and removed cash.
An employee spotted the theft in progress and confronted the suspect, leading to a brief struggle over the money.
Authorities said the suspect fled the hotel immediately afterward.
Detectives later reviewed surveillance footage from the robbery and distributed images of the suspect to officers.
On Sunday, May 10, officers conducting routine patrol located the suspect and took him into custody.
Police identified the suspect as 50-year-old James Richard Holston of Northwest Washington.
Holston was arrested and charged with robbery snatch, according to MPD.
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Key Points
• Man arrested after alleged hotel robbery in Northwest DC
• Employee struggled with suspect during attempted cash theft
• Officers later spotted suspect while on routine patrol