Waldorf mall has three violent crimes in one night

Last Saturday marked a violent evening on Mall Circle in Waldorf with an armed robbery, gunfire and a stabbing.

On April 27 at 9:05 p.m., Charles sheriff’s officers were working at the Reithoffer Spring Festival in the parking lot at the St. Charles Towne Shopping Center when a 15-year-old male approached and said he had been shot, according to a release from the sheriff’s office.

Diane Richardson, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said, “He was not really near the carnival. He was in the lower lot around the corner, but ran to the carnival where officers were working.”

The officers outside of the mall provided first aid until EMS responded and transported the teen to a hospital via helicopter.

It was later determined, at the hospital, that the boy had a stab wound and not a gunshot wound, according to the sheriff’s office release.

A preliminary investigation revealed the boy was with a group of teens and engaged in an argument with another large group of teens in the lower lot of the mall and that at some time during the dispute the victim was stabbed, the sheriff’s office reported.

A Reithoffer spokesperson told Southern Maryland News in an email, “The state police whom we hired as security handled it immediately and we were not even aware of it until the next day when they informed us.”

At 9:55 p.m., patrol officers responded to Mall Circle Drive again for the report of an armed robbery.

A preliminary investigation showed the victim was walking in the parking lot when he was approached by a group of males who brandished a firearm and demanded the victim’s jacket and shoes. The victim complied, according to police.

As officers were talking with the victim, he observed one of the suspects, who was wearing his jacket, walking nearby. The suspect fled but officers apprehended him without further incident. The other suspects fled.

The suspect who was caught is 14 years old, according to police. He was charged on a juvenile offense report with armed robbery and other related charges.

In another incident at approximately 10:23 p.m., officers responded once more to the area for a report of a shooting.

A preliminary investigation revealed witnesses observed a male brandish a firearm and chase another male through the mall parking lot.

Witnesses said the suspect fired the gun at the victim and then both people fled the area. At this time, there are no reports of anyone seeking treatment for a gunshot wound and it is unclear what the motive was, according to police.

It is unclear if the three Saturday night incidents are related.

Southern Maryland News asked Richardson, the sheriff’s office spokesperson, if there is any intent to bolster police presence in Mall Circle in light of the violent night last weekend. She said, “Patrol officers are going through the area more and more.”

Calls to the mall’s management office and security team were deferred to Simon Property Group, the company that oversees the St. Charles Towne Center, which did not respond.

On March 4 after another incident at the mall earlier this year, Southern Maryland News filed a media request with Simon Property Group on the matter of whether or not there were security cameras in the parking lot of the mall. No response has been received.