Undercover operation leads Frederick police to link multiple cases

Mary Grace Keller, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
·2 min read

Apr. 29—Multiple police investigations, including an undercover operation, have led authorities to believe five armed robberies and three firearms discharges that occurred in downtown Frederick since December are connected.

SWAT teams and armored rescue vehicles consisting of more than 50 officers took part in serving search warrants at two residences in the 500 and 600 blocks of N. Bentz Street Tuesday at about 9:15 p.m., according to Frederick Police Department. Evidence in the alleged armed carjacking case of 19-year-old Titus Lamont Diggs Jr., who was arrested last week, reportedly led police to believe more suspects were staying at residences on N. Bentz Street, a news release reads. Diggs allegedly stole a woman's car at gunpoint April 18 in the 200 block of E. 4th Street.

Police believe the following cases that occurred in the area of West 6th Street are related and plan to seek additional charges against certain unnamed people in the near future:

— Firearms discharge, April 25 at 12:34 p.m.

— Firearms discharge, April 5 at 10:30 p.m.

— Firearms discharge, March 30 at 10:52 p.m.

— Armed robbery, Dec. 2 at 5:48 p.m.

— Armed robbery, Jan. 23 at 5:15 p.m.

— Armed robbery, March 27 at 3:25 a.m.

— Armed robbery, March 28 at 1:51 a.m.

— Armed robbery, March 31 at 11:31 p.m.

Police said suspects' names would be released at the time of their arrest.

"We know the residents downtown have been extremely concerned about the serious nature of these crimes," Frederick Chief of Police Jason Lando said in a prepared statement. "While we would all like to see a quick resolution when it comes to crimes of violence, we also know these investigations take time to make sure we get it right. We appreciate the patience of our residents and we are pleased to know these suspects will be held responsible for the havoc they have wreaked on the community."

Due to the high risk nature of the event, armored rescue vehicles and SWAT teams from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office and Washington County assisted FPD Tuesday, according to the release. The investigation was a coordinated effort between the Frederick Police Department, Frederick County Sheriff's Office, Washington County Sheriff's Office, Hagerstown Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations under the Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network (MCIN).

Follow Mary Grace Keller on Twitter:

@MaryGraceKeller

Recommended Stories

  • Biden frames crises as opportunity to invest in US

    In his first address to Congress, President Joe Biden called for an expansion of federal programs to drive the economy past the pandemic and broadly extend the social safety net on a scale not seen in decades. (April 29)

  • Coronavirus latest news: Roadmap can't be safely accelerated despite vaccine success, says minister

    ‘Incredibly safe for two people to meet freely’ after vaccination Latest findings on vaccine rollout put Government’s lockdown modelling to shame Seven in 10 adults have Covid antibodies as herd immunity moves closer Spain warns it will only welcome UK tourists back if Britain reciprocates Subscribe to The Telegraph for a month-long free trial The roadmap to lifting the lockdown restrictions in the UK cannot be safely accelerated despite the success of the vaccine rollout, a minister has said. Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said that while one in four adults had two doses, "we have to be careful". He told Sky News: "If the vaccines have 85% efficacy and we vaccinate fully 85% of the adult population, that is still only 72% protection - that is quite a sizeable percentage for the virus to go after and infect, which is why we have to be careful. The good news is we're not seeing any evidence that would lead us to believe we can't meet the next step in May and, ultimately, June 21. "It is much better to be careful and follow the data and collect the data properly, analyse and then make a decision rather than - we all want obviously to get our freedoms back as quickly as possible but let us do this properly and let's do it safely." On whether restrictions could be lifted as per the road map, Mr Zahawi said: "The data is looking good and positive but nevertheless we really have to be careful because what we don't want is mutations, for example, to blindside us and then have another spike." Follow the latest updates below.

  • Biden ends historically long 1st address to Congress by thanking everyone for their patience

    President Biden's first address to a joint session of Congress, at nearly one hour and five minutes, was historically long by modern standards, by C-SPAN's count. UPDATE: Length of Presidents first address to #JointSession of Congress. pic.twitter.com/s3RGE9ykiI — CSPAN (@cspan) April 29, 2021 Biden was either cognizant of his speech's record length or just being polite when he ended his speech, closing with the words: "Thank you for your patience." Biden has already modified the ubiquitous modern ending to presidential speeches — some variation of "Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America" — by swapping out God blessing America with the prayer: "May God protect our troops." Thanking Congress — and viewers at home — for their patience is a new one. Not everyone loved it, but there was a general agreement he earned points for honesty. "Thank you for your patience" is the most honest closing line of any presidential speech to a joint session of Congress I've ever heard. — Olivier Knox (@OKnox) April 29, 2021 “Thank you for your patience” is the most honest way any president has ended an hour-long speech. — Scott Bixby (@scottbix) April 29, 2021 “Thank you for your patience.” A fitting end to Biden’s first address... — Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) April 29, 2021 Biden concluded his roughly one hour five minute speech saying "thank you for your patience." I feel seen as the kids say. — Daniel Strauss (@DanielStrauss4) April 29, 2021 More stories from theweek.comLumber is shockingly expensive. Thanks, Obama.Stephen Colbert recaps the good, bad, and refreshingly normal in Biden's 1st address to CongressGiuliani flakes on 'live statement' he announced 23 minutes earlier

  • Jimmy Kimmel’s Train-Wreck Interview With MyPillow Guy Mike Lindell

    ABCWell, it actually happened. The day America has been eagerly awaiting since Mike Lindell accepted Jimmy Kimmel’s invitation during his bizarro livestream event finally arrived on Wednesday, and there was the MyPillow CEO in the flesh sitting across from his supposed late-night nemesis.“Somehow a simple pillow salesman from Minnesota got to the bottom of the deepest conspiracy in the history of American politics,” Kimmel said at the top of his monologue. “It’s so crazy, it’s almost hard to believe.” With the real Lindell presumably watching backstage, the host was visited by his own personal MyPillow guy, comedian James Adomian, who limped on stage wearing a “Who Farted?” tank top and went into a racist panic when he spotted Guillermo seated offstage.The actual interview, which was preceded by an actual MyPillow commercial on the New York broadcast, began with a montage of Lindell’s most unhinged rants about what he still seems to believe was a stolen presidential election. When Kimmel asked his guest if he had been vaccinated, Lindell said no, which helps explain why they were not together in a pillow-filled bed as previously promised. “I meant for rabies,” Kimmel joked.Kimmel suggested that Lindell actually has a lot in common with Hunter Biden, given their shared history of addiction to crack cocaine, and asked him directly about the source of his “paranoia” and the fact that he has apparently been “in hiding” for several months.From Mike Lindell to Elon Musk, Who Deserves a Late-Night TV Platform?“That’s right, I’ve been working hard on this election and the machines,” Lindell said, vaguely. After they got some of his basic biography out of the way, Lindell admitted that he didn’t know anything about politics until he met Donald Trump in 2016.“Some would say you still don’t, Mike, to be honest,” Kimmel replied. Later, he told Lindell, “A lot of people didn’t want you to come on the show. Liberals and conservatives, everybody said, told me, don’t have you on the show, and they told you, don’t go on the show. But I think it’s important that we talk to each other.”Kimmel added, “I don’t think there’s any validity to any of this stuff that you’re saying. And I’ve studied you, I really have.” And while he finds a lot of it funny, the host said, “A lot of these ideas you espouse, I think you could potentially draw a line from those to the riot we had at the Capitol where people were killed and a lot of bad things.”Without skipping a beat, Lindell distanced himself from the riot and continued to rant against “the machines” and Dominion Voting Systems, which is currently suing him for more than $1 billion in damages for his baseless smear campaign. Then the two men started getting bogged down in a back-and-forth of allegations before Kimmel took a step back.“Do you ever think it's weird, objectively, looking at yourself, going, why is it that the only person in the country who has this evidence is a guy who sells pillows on cable?” Kimmel asked.Jimmy Kimmel Goes Off on Tucker Carlson’s ‘Child Abuse’ Anti-Mask RantLindell couldn’t quite answer that question, showing no signs of self-awareness and prompting Kimmel to express what seemed like genuine concern. “I worry about you,” he said. “I feel like you are maybe self-destructive, that you have lost everything repeatedly so many times in your life.”By the end of the interview, after Lindell denied urging Trump to impose “martial law if necessary” and claimed he never meant for his $50,000 donation to Lin Wood’s legal fund to help bail out Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, Adomian returned to challenge his doppelgänger to a pillow fight at the Minnesota State Fair.Ultimately, as could have been expected, Lindell emerged relatively unscathed, fully in on the joke, and laughing it up with the two comedians as Kimmel cut to commercial.For more, listen and subscribe to The Last Laugh podcast.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • Jimmy Kimmel questions MyPillow guy Mike Lindell on voter fraud claims, asks why he believes he was 'chosen' to possess evidence of Chinese cyberattack

    Lindell and Kimmel previously exchanged barbs after Kimmel made several jokes about the MyPillow CEO's crack cocaine addiction on his late night show.

  • Rudy Giuliani's lawyer said the feds raiding his Manhattan apartment is a 'clear example of a corrupt double standard'

    Federal investigators executed a search warrant against Giuliani on Wednesday in connection with a criminal probe into his dealings in Ukraine.

  • Elizabeth Warren fist-pumps and Joe Manchin takes notes during Biden's first joint address to Congress

    Democratic and Republican lawmakers' real-time responses to Biden's address illustrated the chasm between the two political parties.

  • Petition calls for Jill Biden to undo Melania Trump’s changes to White House Rose Garden

    Former first lady criticised for replacing cherry trees ‘with a boring tribute to herself’

  • Lauren Boebert shakes her head at Biden’s calls for gun reform and is called out for using phone

    ‘Will Joe Biden start his gun control crusade by investigating Hunter?’ she tweeted

  • An upscale restaurant that's all about locally sourced food was accused of fostering a toxic work environment and lying to customers about its ingredients

    A New York Times exposé reported that some ingredients at Blaine Wetzel's restaurant came from local grocery stores and passed off as locally sourced.

  • Cheney: 'Wishful thinking' by Trump she won't seek 4th term

    Speculation by former President Donald Trump that she won't seek re-election next year is “wishful thinking," Liz Cheney said Wednesday. Trump suggested Tuesday that Wyoming's congresswoman would become a lobbyist or “maybe embarrass her family by running for president” to save face amid criticism for her vote to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Cheney struck down any such ideas in a call with Wyoming reporters.

  • Vandals write ‘white power’ across ‘ancient’ petroglyphs in Utah, photo shows

    Officials said people shouldn’t try to clean or remove the graffiti because it could cause further damage to the site.

  • 'This is heartbreaking': Delaware police officer declared clinically dead after responding to fight call, authorities say

    Authorities confirmed Wednesday that Delmar police officer Cpl. Keith Heacook, 54, has died following a brutal assault Sunday morning.

  • Tucker Carlson twice called MSNBC anchor Joy Reid the 'race lady' during his Tuesday show. She wasn't talking about race.

    "Here's the race lady from MSNBC finally putting her Harvard degree to work," Carlson said, referring to Reid. Reid did not mention race in the clip.

  • Deputy killed, another wounded in North Carolina standoff

    A North Carolina sheriff’s deputy has died and another has been wounded in a shooting that prompted a daylong standoff Wednesday that dragged into the night with law enforcement officers surrounding a home, authorities said. The Watauga County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that deputies were dispatched to home in Boone at 9:44 a.m. after the homeowner and his family didn’t report to work or answer telephone calls. The deputies entered the home and were fired upon, according to the news release.

  • Judge denies request to release video of police shooting of Andrew Brown Jr.

    North Carolina Judge Jeff Foster on Wednesday denied a request to release bodycam and dashcam videos, for at least 30 days, that show the fatal police shooting of Andrew Brown Jr.

  • Michael Collins, the 'forgotten' astronaut of Apollo 11, dies at 90

    (Reuters) -American astronaut Michael Collins, who as pilot of the Apollo 11 command module stayed behind on July 20, 1969, while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin traveled to the lunar surface to become the first humans to walk on the moon, died on Wednesday at age 90, his family said. A statement released by his family said Collins died of cancer. Often described as the "forgotten" third astronaut on the historic mission, Collins remained alone in the command module for more than 21 hours until his two fellow astronauts returned in the lunar module.

  • COVID pandemic accelerating, WHO Americas office warns

    MEXICO CITY/BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -The COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating, which is why equitable access to vaccines and effective preventive measures are crucial to helping turn the tide, the head of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday. "Our region is still under the grip of this pandemic ... in several countries of South America the pandemic in the first four months of this year was worse than what we faced in 2020," PAHO Director Carissa Etienne said in a briefing.

  • The ‘seesaw’ secret to William and Kate’s carefully balanced marriage

    It was teatime on the day of the Royal Wedding, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had just wowed the crowds outside Buckingham Palace by emerging from the gates in a dark blue Aston Martin DB6 MkII featuring the number plate ‘JU5T WED’. Waving from the stylish convertible, belonging to the Prince of Wales, as an RAF helicopter flew overhead, it brought a formal day of Royal pomp and pageantry to a light-hearted end as the joyful newlyweds motored up The Mall before parking outside Clarence House, Prince William’s former London home. Unbeknown to the flag-waving well-wishers outside, there was another spontaneous moment of informality as the bride and groom, still dressed in their wedding finery, rejected the offer of a glass of the finest Champagne in favour of a pot of tea for two instead.

  • Moscow is annoyed Eastern European governments no longer turn a blind eye to assassinations by 'Unit 29155'

    The diplomatic expulsions mean fewer jobs can be taken by Russian intelligence officers working undercover.