1 dead, 4 in custody after armed robbery leads to police chase on Beltway

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Police say one person is dead and four suspects are in custody after an armed robbery in Montgomery County led to a police chase and crash on the Capital Beltway.

Montgomery County police say around 12:30 p.m. Friday, multiple armed suspects robbed a check-cashing business in the 11200 block of Georgia Avenue in Wheaton and then fled in a van.

The employees at the check cashing business tell FOX 5's Matt Ackland that four to six suspects rushed in wearing masks and were armed.

Officers located the van and pursued it into Prince George's County on Interstate 495.

Police say the suspects' van pulled over after it either hit another car or had some kind of mechanical issue near Route 1 in College Park. They say one of the suspects jumped out, but then was apparently hit by an unmarked police car involved in the pursuit.

Investigators say they were able to recover several weapons from the van.

Montgomery County Police Capt. Paul Starks says the suspects in Friday's incident are believed to be involved in two other robberies in the Wheaton area. A food truck was robbed near Veirs Mill Road and Randolph Road on Sept. 1. Three weeks later on Sept. 22, a gas station convenience store and a check cashing facility were also robbed in the same area.

Two lanes were blocked on the Inner Loop of 495 near Route 1 in Prince Georges's County for several hours due to the investigation, but they were later reopened just before 7 p.m.

Police say to expect residual delays on the Beltway.