WASHINGTON — Police in Prince George's County and D.C. are investigating 7-Eleven ATM robberies that may have been committed by the same group. Several robberies happened early Wednesday morning, in some cases, just minutes apart, according to officials.
Investigators with the Prince George's County Robbery unit first responded to a 7-Eleven in the 8200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Highway in Glenarden around 2:05 a.m. They say multiple people broke into an ATM and stole money.
A spokesperson for Hyattsville Police said officers were called to the 3700 block of Hamilton Street around 2:30 a.m. Police are looking for four people who drove off in a black Jeep Cherokee. No injuries were reported at the convenience store. Police did not say how much money was taken from the business. The robbers entered the business with a crowbar, walkie talkies and the jaws of life, police said. Police in Hyattsville believe the same group may be responsible for a series of robberies in Prince George's County last week.
About 10 minutes later, D.C. Police responded to a report of a robbery at a 7-Eleven in the 5500 block of South Dakota Avenue, Northeast.
Police say two people entered the store and broke into an ATM, taking an undisclosed amount of money. A witness told officers the suspects were using a radio and earpiece, and a hydraulic tool, similar to the jaws of life used in the Hyattsville robbery, to open the ATM. Again, no injuries were reported.
Police released surveillance images from the D.C. robbery.
A watch commander told WUSA9 that it appears the people wanted for this robbery were the same wanted for the Hyattsville robbery.
Then, around 4:35 a.m., again multiple people broke into ATMs and stole money at a 7-Eleven in the 9900 block of Greenbelt Road in Lanham.
Another store on Laurel-Bowie Road in Laurel was also hit early Wednesday, according to police there.
The targeting of ATMs at 7-Eleven stores is a trend police are seeing regionally. In an effort to identify and arrest those involved, the Prince George’s County Police Department has tasked a group of detectives to focus solely on this issue. In addition, patrol officers who work the overnight hours have been directed to focus their patrols on 7-Eleven stores in their assigned beats. The PGPD is also in communication with officials at 7-Eleven as well as the companies that make and manage the ATMs to discuss ways to better protect the machines and store employees.
Anyone with information for investigators can contact Prince George's County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS or the Metropolitan Police Department at 202-727-9099.
In Virginia, police in Alexandria have responded to six ATM robberies at 7-Eleven stores going back to June 2023. The most recent robbery was reported on Monday, Jan 15, at around 2:45 a.m.
Officers responded to the 300 block of S. Whiting Street for a commercial robbery at a 7-Eleven. Investigators learned that multiple people targeted the ATM inside the store, and took money from inside. No injuries were reported and the investigation continues.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at 703-746-4444.
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