4 carjacking suspects charged in massive DMV crime spree
ROCKVILLE, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - The scourge of carjackings in D.C. and cities across the country has not spared its suburbs – and in the fall, police from the District’s Maryland suburbs, along with the FBI, joined metropolitan police in an effort to tackle the problem.
To highlight the surge in carjackings, Montgomery County Department of Police Chief Marcus Jones pointed to the uptick in the last quarter of 2020 – which continued into 2021.
Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather
The chief noted that in the entire year of 2019, Montgomery County police responded to 20 carjackings total.
Then, in 2020, from January to August, they responded to 16.
Once September hit, however, the uptick went into high gear.
From September 2020 through December 2020, police investigated 24 carjackings. In 2021, they’ve responded to 16 so far.
READ MORE: DC-area police see younger teens carjacking cars
On Thursday, however, the chief was able to point to a victory for the carjacking task force.
According to the chief, they’ve taken into custody four suspects who were responsible for at least eight carjackings in the District, Maryland and Virginia – along with at least 13 armed street robberies in the same jurisdictions.
The investigation began on a busy Feb. 5, when the suspects committed three commercial armed robberies – two in Southwest DC and one in Silver Spring; and then stole a car in Arlington and carjacked a Volkswagen in Alexandria. In addition, the suspects committed two street robberies in Silver Spring.
Then – while driving the carjacked Volkswagen from Alexandria, the suspects then committed two additional armed carjackings in Silver Spring.
The suspects discarded one of the stolen vehicles, and the other two were involved in multiple police pursuits in Montgomery County and D.C.
READ MORE: DC task force targets carjackings as numbers continue to rise across the District
After they arrested one suspect – 18-year-old Jeremiah Cox – they were able to identify two more suspects, 18-year-old Elijah Greene-Parker and 21-year-old Rashaun Onley of D.C.
Then, on Feb. 19, an Infiniti was carjacked in Silver Spring – using that vehicle, Greene-Parker, Onley and two additional suspects carjacked a BMW in Temple Hills.
The Infiniti and BMW left the scene together and returned to Greene-Parker’s home in DC, according to the chief.
READ MORE: DC homeowner, construction workers scare off alleged car thieves with rocks
The Infiniti driver was arrested by MPD and Identified as 21-year-old Antonio Myles.
Finally, police caught up with Greene-Parker and Onley, arresting them after a barricade situation at a hotel in Virginia. Upon searching their hotel room, police found three handguns.
Between Jan. and Feb. 2021, the following 22 felonies have been linked to the suspects:
- 8 armed carjackings in Maryland, DC, and Virginia
- 8 commercial armed robberies in DC and Maryland
- 5 daytime armed robberies of ATM proceeds in DC and Maryland
- 1 jump-in theft