Juveniles charged following attempted carjacking investigation in Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE, Md. – Three juveniles have been charged following an attempted carjacking investigation that began on August 14th.

Just before 6:30 a.m., officers responded to the 1400 block of the Cambridge Beltway for a report of an attempted carjacking. The victim met with police and reported that he had been sleeping in his vehicle in the parking lot when he was woken up by a male teenager, who reportedly reached into the vehicle and unlocked it. Several other male teenagers then opened the car doors and the trunk and started rummaging through the vehicle. One of the juveniles then reportedly started to reach into his shorts pockets, demanding the victim’s wallet and keys to the vehicle with the threat of a handgun.

The victim then began defending himself, at which point he was jumped and assaulted by the other teenagers. The victim was reportedly punched several times and hit multiple times with sticks. A neighbor saw the incidents and called 911. The suspects then got into a Ford Edge with Delaware registration and fled the area.

Before this incident took place, officers had responded to Walmart for a report of a vehicle that had been gone through. Video footage showed a small SUV pulling into the parking lot at roughly 5:47 a.m. and parking next to a Hyundai passenger car, where the occupants were seen getting out of the vehicle, getting into the Hyundai, then returning to the SUV and leaving.

Shortly after 7 a.m., officers responded to the Holiday Inn, located in the 2700 block of Ocean Gateway, for a report of a Kia Soul that had been gone through and the steering column being pulled in an attempt to steal the vehicle. Further investigation led police to find the same Ford Edge pulling into the parking lot just after 5:30 a.m.

Detectives continued investigating and determined that the same Ford Edge had returned to Walmart at approximately 7 a.m., with three male subjects exiting the vehicle and entering the store, stealing several items, then returning to the vehicle and leaving the area. Detectives were able to identify one of the subjects as a 15-year-old  juvenile from Cambridge.

Laurel Police contacted Cambridge PD a short time later, advising that the Ford Edge was stolen out of their jurisdiction. At around 10:45 a.m., CPD officers were contacted by the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office, who had located the vehicle in Trappe. While Talbot County deputies were standing with the stolen vehicle, another vehicle responded to the area, where a deputy saw the 15-year-old in the back seat. The teen was subsequently arrested for the stolen vehicle, and it was found that he was reported missing through the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office and had an active arrest warrant out of Delaware. The teen was later transferred to the Lower Shore Juvenile Detention Center awaiting pickup by Delaware law enforcement.

Further investigation led Cambridge detectives to identify two additional suspects as a 15-year-old male juvenile and a 17-year-old male juvenile, both from Cambridge. Cambridge Police have also notified Laurel Police regarding the identities of the other juveniles where charges can be placed in Delaware.

All three juveniles have been referred to the Department of Juvenile Services on the charges of attempted carjacking, attempted robbery, second degree assault, theft, rogue and vagabond, attempted motor vehicle theft, and malicious destruction of property.