A week after officials reported a surge in crime in the first half of the year, four robberies occurred during the weekend, Howard County police said.

The WaWa Food Markets in the 9000 block of Baltimore St. in Savage was robbed Sunday for the fourth time in three months. A man entered the store at 4: 37 a.m., displayed a dark revolver and demanded money, police said. An undetermined amount of money was taken.

The robbery was the second there this month. The store was also held up in May and July. Before that, the last robbery occurred in August 1997.

Police said they do not believe the same robbers were involved.

Another business-related robbery occurred when two patrons leaving the Papa John's pizza restaurant in Harper's Choice Village Center at 10: 15 p.m. Friday were robbed in their car of an unknown amount of money. The robber implied he had a gun.

The first of two street robberies occurred Saturday at 10: 20 p.m. when a 17-year-old said a man entered his car in the 10800 block of Little Patuxent Parkway, implied he had a gun and forced the youth to drive to Baltimore. The assailant demanded money when they reached Reisterstown Road and Garrison Boulevard, and the youth gave him $20.

A woman told police a man approached her at 12: 53 a.m. Sunday outside her apartment in the 7600 block of Woodpark Lane in Kings Contrivance in Columbia. The man demanded her purse and implied he had a knife. The woman gave the man about $70.

Last week, officials reported a 63 percent increase in robberies for the first half of this year. Police responded by establishing a permanent five-officer robbery unit.

Pub Date: 8/24/99