Anne Arundel County police released pictures of a carjacking outside the Annapolis Mall earlier today hoping to find the victim who sped away after the suspect jumped out of the vehicle and was promptly arrested (photo at left).
His name is Arthur Tyler Felton, 38.
A check of the records reveals a stunning fact: Arthur Tyler Felton shot and killed 6-year-old Tiffany Smith in July 1991 during a gun battle with a rival drug dealer in West Baltimore's Walbrook community.
The shooting outraged the city much in the same way Sunday's stabbing death of Stephen Pitcairn does today, complete with similar complaints of lenient prison sentences for prior crimes and failures of judges and others to hold criminals accountable.
Felton pleaded guilty to second-degree mruder, agreed to testify against his rival and got a 30 year sentence, with all but 18 years suspended. He was released in 2005, after spending 13 years behind bars, and completed his probation just three months ago.
Now, police in Anne Arundel County have charged him with stealing a cell phone and an MP3 player from a Sears store in the mall and then briefly carjacking a woman in a failed bid to escape security guards.
Tiffany Square still stands on Rosedale Street, complete with the little girl's name and a few trees. But the promised revival of the neighborhood, along with promises by cops and others to end the scourage of drugs and violence, failed.
Now, after Pitcairn's death on St. Paul Street, a makeshift memorial is going up and politicans are again swarming the scene of a murder and promising reforms. And the debate rages over prison sentences.
Back in 1992, Tiffany's mother complained that her child's killers had gotten away with murder. After 20 years, the stories and the complaints remain the same.
Here are the details on the Annapolis theft and carjacking:
Information Sought/ Attempt to Locate Victim
Southern District Detective Unit
On July 27, 2010, at approximately 3:05 p.m., officers from the Southern District responded to the 800 block of Bestgate Road in Annapolis for a report of an unknown disturbance. Through investigation, officers learned that a suspect inside of Annapolis Mall cut a cell phone and MP3 player off the display with a box cutter and attempted to leave Sears. The suspect ran and was subsequently chased by loss prevention officers.
The suspect fled outside into the parking lot and across Bestgate Road, where he approached and stopped a light-colored four door sedan, possibly a Toyota Camry, at Industrial Drive. The female victim attempted to drive off, but the suspect opened the driver's side rear door and jumped inside. The car began to drive again, stopped about 50 yards later and the suspect jumped out. The suspect brandished the same razor and swung it at loss prevention officers, who were finally able to control and apprehend him on the sidewalk.
The suspect, Arthur Tyler Felton, 38, of 101 Victor Pkwy, Annapolis, Maryland was arrested and charged with Theft, Assault (2 counts), CDS possession and Carrying a Concealed, Dangerous Weapon. The victim drove away from the scene and has not been reached. At this time, detectives are requesting that the victim of the possible attempted carjacking come forward to provide additional information in this investigation. If anyone knows the whereabouts of the victim, please contact Detective Praley at 410-222-1965.