Executive Summary
- Incident occurred at 1:20 a.m. Friday on Brock Bridge Road in Laurel, Maryland.
- Suspects used a person on crutches as a decoy to stop the victim’s vehicle.
- Two accomplices emerged from the woods, one possibly armed with a shotgun.
- Maryland State Police data indicates a significant multi-year rise in county carjackings.
LAUREL, Md. – Police in Anne Arundel County are searching for three suspects following an alleged armed carjacking early Friday morning, where investigators report a suspect on crutches was utilized as a ruse to lure the victim into stopping their vehicle.
According to the Anne Arundel County Police Department, officers responded to the 500 block of Brock Bridge Road in Laurel at approximately 1:20 a.m. regarding the reported incident. The victim stated to responding officers that he was driving in the area when he observed an individual on crutches attempting to cross the street. When the driver stopped to allow the pedestrian to pass, two additional suspects—one of whom was described as possibly being armed with a shotgun—emerged from a nearby wooded area.
Police reports indicate the suspects forcibly removed the victim from his vehicle before fleeing the scene in the stolen car. Authorities have urged anyone with information regarding the incident to contact the department at 410-222-4730. The investigation is active as detectives work to identify the individuals involved.
This incident occurs amidst a reported surge in vehicular crimes within the region. Data from the Maryland State Police highlights that carjacking cases in Anne Arundel County increased by more than 100% between 2022 and 2024. The county recorded 1,823 carjackings in 2024, a significant rise from the 859 reported in 2022. State data further indicates that 727 cases have been recorded so far this year, as law enforcement continues efforts to address the trend.
Investigative Outlook
The utilization of a ruse involving medical crutches to stop a motorist represents a predatory escalation in carjacking tactics, utilizing empathy to create vulnerability. This event underscores the broader challenge facing Anne Arundel County law enforcement as they combat a statistical doubling of such crimes over the previous two-year period. While police continue to make arrests in older cases—such as the recent identification of suspects in a 2023 kidnapping—the prevalence of planned, armed ambushes suggests a persistent threat to community safety. It is important to note that all individuals described or charged in connection with criminal investigations are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
