Police Release Photos of Rockville Armed Robbery Suspect
A man robbed the Food Express convenience store early Tuesday, police said.
Photos
Surveillance photos show a man Montgomery County police said is wanted for an armed robbery of a Rockville convenience store Tuesday.
The man entered the Food Express convenience store at 16254 Frederick Road in Rockville at 1:14 a.m., approached the clerk and announced a robbery while displaying a black semi-automatic handgun, police said in a news release. The clerk complied with the suspect’s demand, giving him cash from the register, police said. The suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Police released the photos Wednesday, asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect.
The man is described as in his mid-20s, 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall and 180 to 200 pounds. He wore a blue coat, dark jeans, black and white sneakers, and a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball hat.
Detectives are asking anyone with information about the robbery or the suspect to call the county police’s Robbery Section at 240-773-5100.
Crime Solvers of Montgomery County is accepting anonymous tips toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) and on its website by clicking here.
Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest and/or indictment for this felony crime.
C.Z. Guy
9:42 am on Thursday, December 20, 2012
Are we so politically correct that the police no longer provide the race/ethnicity of suspects? Or is that the decision of Patch?
jag
2:17 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
Are your eyes not working? There are freakin pictures - do you want patch to describe what shade of white that is for you?
Anon
10:09 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
FWIW, he's Hispanic. From WUSA "Police describe the suspect as a Hispanic male in his mid 20's, 5'7" to 5'8" in height, about 180-200 pounds"
Sean R. Sedam
4:29 pm on Friday, December 21, 2012
@C.Z. Guy: A good question. Patch's policy is not to use racial identifiers when describing suspects unless it is part of a much more specific physical description (e.g. "the suspect had a heart tattoo that said 'Mom' on his right forearm.")
It's not a matter of political correctness, so much as a matter of relevancy.
It's a policy that Patch and other media outlets often review. It's also an issue of debate among journalists, as you can read here:
http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/newsgathering-storytelling/diversity-at-work/166506/ap-stylebook-updates-entry-on-racial-ids-in-news-stories/