Four members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Seventh District Detectives Office were honored with Achievement Medals for closing a spree of robberies and thefts committed by a single suspect.
Between April 5, 2023, and July 10, 2023, a series of crimes formed a pattern throughout the Third District, Fourth District, and Seventh District. In these offenses, the suspect would enter a business, threaten an employee with a weapon, and demand money. Several of these cases were assigned to Seventh District Detectives Richard Feser, Molly Pelta, Autumn Ewald, and Adam Shaatal, who, during the course of their investigation, were able to obtain CCTV footage of the suspect.
The break in the case came on July 10, 2023, when the suspect committed back-to-back robberies in the Seventh District. Based on the information obtained from the scene, the detectives were able to identify the suspect. They obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s residence, where the detectives discovered items linking the suspect to other offenses.
“We are committed to disrupting robbery and carjacking patterns throughout the city. By closing these cases, that’s precisely what our Seventh District detectives did,” said Acting Chief Pamela A. Smith.
The suspect has been arrested and charged with numerous offenses, including Robbery of an Establishment, Theft from an Establishment, and Destruction of Property.
MPD is dedicated to giving our officers the training and tools they need to defend, protect, and save the lives of the residents and visitors of the District of Columbia. For information on how to join the Metropolitan Police Department, please visit: https://joinmpd.dc.gov/
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