Witness leads Howard police to 2 suspects in bank robbery

A person who saw a pair of masked men switching vehicles Friday helped lead to the arrests of two bank robbery suspects, according to Howard County police. Sherry Llewellyn, a police spokeswoman, said the witness saw an off-duty county officer on Assateague Drive near the Maryland Wholesale Food Market in Jessup, and told the officer about the unusual vehicle switch. The officer followed the new ride, a Nissan Maxima, and called for backup after he learned that two men armed with handguns had just robbed a Bank of America branch in the 7300 block of Assateague Drive, according to police. The suspects had fled the bank in a Dodge Durango after the robbery, which was reported at 9:51 a.m., police said. The off-duty officer tried to pull over the Nissan, but the driver would not stop, police said. The two men later stopped the car on Cedar Avenue off U.S. 1 and fled on foot, according to police. The suspects were captured after a foot chase and search. Police said charges were pending further investigation.

- Larry Carson