Sheriff’s Office Investigating Pair of Armed Robberies in Campus Hills, Creswell; Unclear Whether Incidents are Connected

Harford County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating a pair of armed robberies which occurred Friday, one of which resulted in a crash on Route 40 and the suspect being airlifted from the scene, but are unsure whether the incidents are connected.

According to police, at approximately 8:05 a.m. Friday a white man with a bandanna covering his face entered the Xtra Mart gas station on the 2400 block of Churchville Road in Campus Hills, displayed a handgun, and demanded the clerk go into a back room. He seized an undisclosed amount of money and fled the scene.

The suspect was described as a white male of medium build wearing all black clothing. He fled the scene in a white Ford SUV heading toward Aberdeen.

In the second incident, an individual entered Third Base Liquors at the intersection of Route 543 and Route 136 in Creswell at about 3 p.m. According to Harford County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Cristie Kahler, the black male wore a burka and initially attempted to disguise himself by using a female voice, before switching to a man’s voice, displaying a handgun, and demanding money.

As the individual fled the scene, a citizen observed their vehicle as a white SUV and called the license plate number into police. Sheriff’s Office deputies located the vehicle on Route 40 at Route 755 and began a pursuit which continued past the intersection of Route 40 and Route 152, according to Kahler.

A short time later, the suspect’s vehicle traveled down the left shoulder of the roadway and struck a vehicle waiting to make a left-hand turn. The suspect’s SUV rolled and landed on its roof, ejecting the suspect from the vehicle. Kahler said the suspect was airlifted to a local trauma scene in serious condition; neither the driver of the other vehicle nor any law enforcement officers were injured.

The Sheriff’s Office was working late Friday afternoon to determine whether the incidents were related, but could not immediately connect the two due to varying descriptions of the suspect sought in each.