Police Beat for August 19

Annapolis area

Men assaulted

A man wielding a metal pole assaulted two Annapolis men last night, city police said.

One victim told police that, at about 7 p.m., he was at the liquor store at 1313 Forest Drive in Annapolis, when a man made threatening remarks to him. The victim stopped at a red light and the man approached again, yelling and brandishing a 2 foot, metal pole.

The victim drove off, and the man followed in his vehicle down Tyler Avenue, passed the victim, cut him off and stopped his car in the road. He got out of his car and swung the metal pole at the passenger-side window, grazing the passenger sitting inside.

He also broke the windshield and the driver's-side window, and punched the victim several times through the broken window, police said.

Police are still investigating.

Armed robbery

Someone robbed a man yesterday as he stood on Edgewood Road, city police said.

The victim, 31, told police he was waiting at the end of his driveway at just before 6 a.m. when two men approached him. One showed a dark handgun and demanded the man empty his pockets, then both men assaulted him, hitting him several times in the head with the gun, police said.

They got away with $300, a cell phone and a check for $3,750, police said.

Man robbed

An Annapolis man was arrested yesterday after he allegedly robbed another man on West Street, city police said.

The victim told police he was walking at about 1:30 a.m. near 2002 West Street when another man approached and threatened him. The man implied he had a gun but didn't show it to the victim, police said.

He took a cell phone from the victim, then the robber demanded the victim's other property. When he didn't hand it over, the man punched his face and walked away, police said.

Officers found a man matching the robber's description on Carver Street.

Khiyon P. Washington, 29, of Dorsey Avenue, was charged with robbery, theft under $100, second-degree assault and resisting arrest, police said.

Teen robbed

A 17-year-old Annapolis boy was robbed Friday as he walked in the Belle Drive area, city police said.

The victim, a resident of Center Street, told police he was walking in the area at about 7 p.m. when five or six men attacked him, punching him several times. They took his money and ran, police said.

Officers weren't able to find the robbers and they continue to investigate.

Woman robbed

Someone robbed a woman Friday night as she walked near her Annapolis home, city police said.

The woman, 28, whose home is on Broach Court, told police she was walking at about 11 p.m. when a man grabbed her from behind, pushed her to the ground and wrested her backpack from her.

The robber ran toward Yawl Road, police said.

South County

Two arrested

Two men were charged with theft and other offenses Saturday after county police found inside their vehicle, items that had been stolen in Harwood burglaries.

At 3:15 a.m. officers went to Sandalwood Road to investigate men seen tampering with parked vehicles. When they arrived, they saw a man running away. Officers ran after ran after him and arrested him after a brief chase.

Richard Stuart McGrath, 37, of Woodshire Avenue in Chesapeake Beach, was charged with burglary, theft, resisting arrest, and rogue and vagabond.

While speaking with Mr. McGrath, police learned there was another man with him while the crimes were committed. Police found Kevin William Ennis, 36, of 7th Street in North Beach, and charged him with burglary, theft, and destruction of property.

During the investigation, officers found a shed and a garage that had been broken into that morning. Police said items taken from the two buildings were found in a car the men were driving.

Millersville

Robbery

Five men tried to rob a man Sunday evening, and knocked him to the ground and punched him, county police said.

The man told police that, at about 6:15 p.m. he was walking along a path behind the 8100 block of Veterans Highway in Old Mill, when the group walked up and punched his face. After he was knocked to the ground, the men jumped on him and punched his face several more times.

One of them rummaged through his pockets, but could not find anything to steal, so they ran away empty-handed, police said.

Four of the men are described as Hispanic, between ages 18 and 25. The fifth man was also described as Hispanic, from 40 to 45 years old.

North County

A malfunctioning motorcycle caught fire behind a Pasadena home Sunday morning and started a blaze at the house, causing more than $60,000 in damages, county Fire Department officials said.

At about 10:30 a.m., firefighters were called to Pebblestone Court, said Battalion Chief Matthew Tobia, a county Fire Department spokesman.

The homeowner told firefighters he had been working on his bike but went inside his home for a few minutes. When he came back, he discovered the flames.

It took 33 firefighters to get the fire under control, Chief Tobia said. It is unclear how long it took to put out the blaze.

The fire caused thousands of dollars in damage to the home, and the $1,500 motorcycle was a total loss.

The homeowner suffered minor burns on his hands while he tried to put out the fire with a garden hose, Chief Tobia said. But he refused treatment.

Robbery

A man was arrested after county police said he robbed a Brooklyn Park fast-food restaurant Sunday.

At 4:45 p.m., police were called to the McDonald's restaurant at 5051 Ritchie Highway.

Employees told police a man with a knife walked into the restaurant with the weapon and demanded cash from the register. He ran, but employees gave police a good description of him.

Police searched the area and saw a man matching the description near the McDonalds. Witnesses identified him as the man who robbed the restaurant, police said, and police found a knife in his pocket.

Michael Joseph Grossman, 38, of no fixed address, was charged with armed robbery and second-degree assault.