Police are exploring possible links among several armed robberies of area pawnshops and jewelry stores in the past month.
“We’re working with the other jurisdictions to see if it’s the same group of men,” said Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Sgt. Joe Gentile. “We haven’t determined that yet, but we haven’t ruled it out, either.”
Four pawnshops in Prince George’s County and one in Charles County, as well as one upscale D.C. jeweler, have been robbed by armed assailants since May 1, according to authorities.
Accounts of the crimes, though far from identical, bear a number of similarities.
Typically, a few black men enter the store wearing masks, force employees onto the ground, and make off with jewelry, money or both.
In two cases, suspects reportedly carjacked vehicles to reach the pawnshops.
Some victims were pistol-whipped, police say. Employees from two stores — King Pawn in District Heights and Bobb’s Trading Co. in Waldorf — reportedly fired shots at the robbers.
At Bobb’s Trading Co., which was robbed May 30, a robber took the employee’s gun from him and clubbed him in the head with it, said Charles County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kristen Timko.
At Pampillonia Jewelers on Connecticut Avenue, which was robbed May 11, robbers smashed four display cases and escaped on foot with diamond jewelry within minutes of entering the store, said the store’s Richard Pampillonia.
The similarities among the crimes and the close timing have led police to coordinate their investigations, said Prince George’s police spokesman Cpl. Clinton Copeland.
Jewelry stores are constantly wary of robbery, said June Carol of Continental Jewelers, another Connecticut Avenue store.
“We have a roll-down door for when we are closed, we have motion detectors, we have cameras, we have a metal detector at the door,” she said. “Does it sound like we’re concerned?”
