Don't Fall for the Grandparent Scam

(Click on the above image for the video clip)

From John Aaron's WTOP report:

The so-called “grandparent scam” is making its rounds in the region, and one victim is now explaining exactly how it works, hoping to prevent others from getting swindled.
“They are really, really, really good at what they do,” said the Lanham, Maryland, resident, who asked not to be identified.
In a video posted online by Prince George’s County, Maryland police, the woman explained how she got a tearful phone call from a person claiming to be her grandson, who said he had been in an accident and that she needed to call a supposed lawyer at a specific number.
She said the phony lawyer then told her that her grandson was jailed as a result of the accident and needed $12,500 for bail money. She said she withdrew money and gave it to a person who came to pick it up. She later called her grandson and found out he was fine.
“They keep manipulating you, and the only thing you have to say to a grandmother [is] ‘Something is happening to my grandson,’” she said.
“You get so wrapped up in trying to protect your family that you lose sight of the intelligence God gave you.”
The police have released a photo of the suspect in three of these recent scam cases.

Fort Washington Division VII Crime (Jan 1-Feb 10, 2022)

 

(Click on the above image for the map, then click on a blue marker for details)

 Data from https://data.princegeorgescountymd.gov/Public-Safety/Crime-Incidents-February-2017-to-Present/wb4e-w4nf/data

Fort Washington Division VII Crime (Jan 1-27, 2022)

(Click on the above image for the map, then click on a blue marker for details)

 Data from https://data.princegeorgescountymd.gov/Public-Safety/Crime-Incidents-February-2017-to-Present/wb4e-w4nf/data

Fort Washington Division VII Crime (Dec. 1, 2021-Jan 19, 2022)

(Click on the above image for the map, then click on a blue marker for details)

 Data from https://data.princegeorgescountymd.gov/Public-Safety/Crime-Incidents-February-2017-to-Present/wb4e-w4nf/data

Be Extremely Careful When Working Under Your Car!

(Click in the above image for a short video clip)

From Police1:
A 70-year-old woman was hospitalized Wednesday morning after being rescued from underneath her car in Bear, according to the New Castle County Police Department.
She marks one of two people in the last two days to experience injuries associated with their vehicles while not on the road.
Police body camera footage recorded at 8:16 a.m. showed the woman's left arm pinned under her car on Fieldstone Lane in Country Creek. One of her legs was also trapped under the front-left tire.
Five officers lifted the car off of the woman together, the body camera footage showed. They were assisted by a neighbor with a carjack who had tried to free the woman before police arrived.
Police reported that the bystander was unsuccessful on his own because the jack was not high enough. But Mark R. Logemann, chief of the New Castle County Emergency Medical Services Division, said in a statement that the man's efforts "played a major role in this patient being protected from further injury, and possibly death."
The woman was taken to the hospital in "serious but stable condition," according to New Castle County police. The crash that trapped the woman is still under investigation by the New Castle County Division of Police Traffic Services Unit, but police said alcohol was not likely a factor.

New Castle County saw a second car crushing injury just one day later — this time with deadly consequences, witnesses said.
Mill Creek Fire Company reported that responders were dispatched to the Linden Hill Square Townhouses in Pike Creek at 7:48 p.m. Thursday. Further information from the department was not released.
A townhouse resident — who identified himself as the victim's brother — said the victim was changing the oil on a minivan when he got stuck.
By the time first responders arrived, it was too late. Officials have not publicly identified the victim.
The car was still outside 5423 Jenmatt Drive the next morning. Orange spray paint marked the location of all four tires. The front right tire was removed and on its side beneath the car. Remnants of the repair effort — an Allen wrench, a ratchet and tire valve caps — were discarded on the concrete.

Nation-wide Spike in Violent Crime Hits Prince George's Too

(Click on the above image for the NBC Nightly News report)

Homicides in Prince George's increased from 89 in 2020 to 109 in 2021.

The NBC report also notes a surge in carjackings and notes hot spots are

• Residential driveways
• Gas stations
• ATMs
• Areas with poor lighting

1 Killed, 1 Injured in MD 210 Crash

(Click on the above image for the News4 report)

Driver dies after two-vehicle crash in Prince George’s Co.

By Zeke Hartner, January 22, 2022, 6:16 PM
One person is dead and another is in the hospital following a two-car collision at an intersection of Indian Head Highway in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Prince George’s County police said the crash happened around 12:15 p.m. at the intersection Indian Head Highway and Farmington Road. Both drivers were going eastbound on Farmington Road when one of the drivers rear-ended the other while going through the intersection.
The driver of the vehicle that was struck, an adult male, was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The driver of the striking vehicle was taken to the hospital with what police described as serious injuries.
Police are still working to determine the circumstances that led up to the crash.
Northbound Indian Head Highway was closed for several hours Saturday as police conducted an investigation into the crash, but has since reopened.