Suspect Identified In Toys R Us Armed Robbery
TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) — A scare at a toy store in Towson puts a shopping center on lockdown. Now WJZ is learning more about the suspect behind all the chaos.
Derek Valcourt has details on the arrest.
The suspect is 45 years old and he does not live far from the store where he caused so much chaos.
The Towson Toys R Us was not open for customers Thursday afternoon.
Employees walking in declined to speak about their frightening ordeal Wednesday, when an armed gunman walked into the store and demanded money from the registers.
Customers inside called police as it was happening.
Within two minutes of the calls, police arrived.
The fleeing suspect, identified as 45-year-old Elbert Darell Crump of Towson, saw police and ran back inside the store and hid for more than an hour until police tactical teams found him hiding in a large box.
He was arrested without any shots fired. Police are crediting the 911 callers with the arrest.
"Maybe he thought all these people were standing around watching him wouldn't call police, but they were attentive. They saw what he was doing, they called us and let us know," said Cpl. John Wachter, Baltimore County Police Department.
The entire incident left customers at the busy shopping center rattled and questioning their own safety.
"It's craziness to even think that someone would do that at a kid's store, obviously," one woman said.
"I think this area should have a security guard or something in place," said another.
"That's a little scary. Moms, pregnant moms in there, young kids. Sad to see it happen anywhere, but especially at a store like that," said one man.
The suspect is being held without bail on several criminal charges, including armed robbery and first-degree assault.
Police say no one inside the store was injured in the incident.