A Silver Spring man admitted Friday to shooting a teller in the hand during a Clarksville bank robbery Thursday that led to a high-speed police chase through several counties and the fatal shooting of a second suspect, according to a criminal complaint.
Ainrudh Sukho, 42, is facing federal bank robbery charges for allegedly stealing more than $23,000 from the Bank of America on Ten Oaks Road before fleeing from police in his Ford pickup through Howard, Anne Arundel, Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Maryland.
Sukho and two other suspects bailed out of the truck in the Burtonsville area of Montgomery County and opened fire at officers, prompting police to shoot and kill suspect Omar Burnett, 24, of Burtonsville.
Police caught up with Sukho about 2 p.m. Thursday after he called 911 to falsely report that he’d been carjacked that morning while driving his black Ford pickup — the getaway car that was abandoned in Montgomery County with Sukho’s identification card hanging from the rearview mirror, according to the complaint.
He was arrested in a residential area near University Boulevard West and Dennis Avenue in the Four Corners of Silver Spring, police said. The third suspect remained at large Friday.
Sukho later admitted to police that he used a shotgun to shoot the female teller during the robbery, according to the complaint.
Sukho’s criminal record includes marijuana possession in 2005 in Annapolis District Court, for which he was given a suspended sentence of 60 days in jail.
Court records indicate Burnett pleaded guilty in April 2005 to a second-degree assault charge in Montgomery County District Court and received a suspended sentence of eight months in jail.
The Baltimore FBI took over the investigation and was “actively searching” Friday for the third suspect, said Special Agent Richard Wolf, who wouldn’t release details of search efforts or whether the suspect had been identified.
“We’re not releasing anything about that individual and we’re not going to get into the investigative steps,” he said.
Howard police described the third suspect as a light-skinned black male wearing all dark clothing at the time of the robbery. A reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to his arrest is being offered by Howard police and the Maryland Association for Bank Security. Police did not have a photo of him available.
Law enforcement from several jurisdictions had deployed search dogs, officers on horseback and a Baltimore County helicopter to search for the third suspect Thursday until Montgomery police suspended the search, believing he was no longer in the area.
The stolen money was recovered near Burnett’s body in a bag containing a sawed-off shotgun, police said.
Detectives wouldn’t identify the bank teller who was shot or comment on her condition at Union Memorial Hospital.
The brazen robbery was considered unusual in Clarksville and shocked nearby businesses and residents who lingered around the crime scene Thursday as police taped off the bank entrance and interviewed witnesses inside.
Bank employees said they were told not to comment because of the ongoing investigation.
Anonymous callers with information about the identity or location of the third suspect can contact police at 410-313-3200.
