Hide Transcript Show Transcript

WEBVTT VIGILANT. UNDER THE NIGHT SKY PEOPLE SHOPPED AT THE AVENUE IN WHITE MARSH, DESPITE REPORTS OF TWO ARMED ROBBERIES IN THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT >> IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO. >> FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS HURT. IT WAS SUSPECTS COMING UP TO THE VICTIM, POINTING A GUN, GIVE ME YOUR MONEY. TAKING THE PROPERTY AND LEAVING. REPORTER: BALTIMORE COUNTY POLICE SAY IT'S GETTING DARKER EARLIER, THE HOLIDAYS ARE APPROACHING, AND YOU NEED TO BE ON ALERT. >> HEART IN A WELL LIT AREA. REPORT ANY SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY TO POLICE IMMEDIATELY. REPORTER: AMONG MANY TIPS, THE NATIONAL CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL RECOMMENDS CARRYING YOUR PURSE CLOSE TO YOUR BODY, PUTTING YOUR WALLET INSIDE A FRONT POCKET, HAVING YOUR KEYS IN HAND WHEN WALKING TO YOUR VEHICLE, AND LOCKING PACKAGES IN YOUR TRUNK. WHILE SOME WHITE MARSH SHOPPERS SAY THEY ARE BEING CAUTIOUS -- >> I JUST DON'T LOOK AT MY PHONE, I LOOK AROUND ALL THE TIME. BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. >> I USUALLY ONLY CARRY A SMALL WALLET IN MY POCKET. I USUALLY DON'T CARRY ANYTHING OTHER THAN MY KEYS. I TRIED TO CARRY AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. REPORTER: -- THEY DON'T PLAN TO STOP VISITING THE AVENUE OR THE MALL. >> I DON'T COME OUT ALONE. AS LONG AS YOU'RE WITH SOMEBODY, IT DOESN'T REALLY CONCERN ME. REPORTER: BALTIMORE COUNTY POLICE SAY THEY HAVE INCREASED PATROLS IN THE AREA, THAT DOES INCLUDE PLAINCLOTHES OFFICERS. LIVE IN WHITE MARSH, VANESSA

Advertisement Police investigate White Marsh armed robberies Victims targeted at White Marsh Mall, The Avenue Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Two people were victims of separate armed robberies Sunday evening in White Marsh, Baltimore County police said. Baltimore County police increased patrols at the White Marsh Mall and The Avenue. "Both in a close area, both right across the street from each other. Both involving multiple suspects and both approached women as they were getting into their car," Baltimore County police spokesman Cpl. John Wachter said. Both victims were women in their 20s. Both cases involved a handgun and the mention of a vehicle, police said. Detectives told WBAL-TV 11 News that they're looking to see if the cases are connected. The first was reported just before 5 p.m. Sunday outside the mall near the food court. A White Marsh Mall spokesperson clarified the area of "the earlier incident as on the outskirts of the mall parking lot" near Ring Road and deferred to Baltimore County police for details. "(The) woman is getting her children into the car when she was approached by a suspect who was armed. That armed person took a purse and a cellphone from her, then got into a vehicle occupied by three other suspects. They drove off," Wachter said. Just across the street, another woman was robbed at about 10:30 p.m. at The Avenue in White Marsh outside Della Rose’s. Police said she was getting into her car, when two armed suspects approached, took her money, keys and cellphone and drove away. "We've got two things: It's getting darker earlier now, and it's getting toward the holiday season. So everybody needs to be extra careful," Wachter said. Police said it's best to park in well-lit areas and report any suspicious activity to police immediately. Police said they're looking at evidence like surveillance video and talking to witnesses to see if the two crimes are connected. Despite the robberies, many shoppers said they are not going to avoid the area. "If we stop coming then they win, right," shopper Magdalen Ernst said. "It's going to happen no matter where you go." However, shoppers admit they will be more cautious now. "I just don't get on my phone," shopper AIlison Borsella said. "I look around all the time. Be aware of your surroundings." "I usually only carry like a really small wallet and I keep it in my pocket so I don't really carry anything other than my keys so I try to carry as little as possible," shopper Nicole Monaghan said. WBAL-TV 11 News reporter Vanessa Herring contributed to this story.