The victimized pregnant school teacher at Villa Cresta Elementary School suffered minor injuries when one of the four female juvenile carjackers approached her, asking her a question meant to distract her, then knocked the cell phone out of her hand and began punching her.
The teacher attempted to defend herself, but fell to the ground, at which time the juvenile violently tore the purse away from the teacher. Another suspect picked up the teacher's cell phone, and then the suspects stole her car. According to Baltimore County Police spokeswoman Jennifer Peach, two of the suspects left the scene in the teacher's black Kia Sportage. "The other two left in the vehicle they had arrived in, a silver Ford Fusion with a Virginia registration plate - which the teacher looked at as they fled and gave to responding officers," said Peach.
Police determined that the Ford Fusion was reported stolen from Gardenville Elementary School in the 5300 block of Belair Road earlier that day. Two hours later the Ford Fusion was found by officers of the Baltimore City Police Eastern District parked on the lot of the Hope Academy at 1808 Edison Highway, 21213. Baltimore County detectives responded and quickly learned that two more vehicles had been stolen by the same four female suspects - a gray Dodge Journey and a gray Ford Fusion, both of which have since been recovered. Similar to events at Villa Cresta, the girls used a ruse to enter the school and get past the office, where they located purses, stealing them and the car keys to the vehicles they took.
Detectives from the Baltimore County Carjacking Team worked with members of the Baltimore City School Police and quickly identified the first two suspects, who were arrested and charged. Both admitted to their involvement in the Villa Cresta carjacking and other incidents in Baltimore City.
Baltimore County Police Safe Schools Liaison, Sergeant Watkins, worked with the Baltimore County Police Carjacking Team and Baltimore City Police to alert all County and City schools of the incidents, asking all school personnel to remain vigilant. As a result, staff from Pleasant Plains Elementary School in the 8300 block of Pleasant Plains Road, 21286 in the Towson Precinct, advised that the same suspects were at that school the day after the Villa Cresta incident, attempting to gain access to the school by claiming they were there to visit a relative. They were asked to leave school property and were unable to commit any crime in that incident.
Detectives have continued investigating leads on the identities of the last two suspects, resulting in the arrest of one Monday, a 15-year-old charged as a juvenile, and the other Tuesday, expected to be charged as an adult. Both admitted their involvement in the Villa Cresta case and other incidents in Baltimore City.
Detectives from the Baltimore County Police Carjacking Team have worked with Citywide Robbery during this investigation and together have linked the four suspects to additional street robberies and purse snatchings in Baltimore City.
The 2013 black Kia Sportage has a Maryland registration of 6AF5889 and remains missing.