Police say two crimes at gunpoint unrelated

Police do not believe that the two recent incidents involving robbery at gunpoint in the Homewood area are related to one another.

"These robberies were isolated incidents and occurred back to back. They are not part of any pattern," said a representative from the Northern District Detective Division of the Baltimore Police Department.

At 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday an armed robbery occurred on the 3200 block of Guilford Ave.

The victim, an undergraduate, was threatened by two males while he was sitting on the front steps of his residence.

The suspects, one of whom was carrying a handgun, forced the victim to lie on the ground and searched his pockets and bookbag.

Though nothing was taken, the suspects kicked the student and then fled the scene of the crime. The suspects were seen heading west on E. 32nd Street.

An earlier armed robbery occured less than a five-block walk south from the Homewood campus.

On Nov. 22 between 12:47 and 12:50 a.m., two armed robberies occurred within minutes of each other in the 2800 block of Cresmont Ave.

In both cases, the victims of the robberies were threatened into giving up their jewelry by a man carrying dark-colored handgun attached by a piece of rope around his neck.

Police are continuing their investigation into the successful robbery.

The representative from the Northern Distrtict said that what detectives "are waiting for is the prints or other evidence we may lift from the victims' cars [where the robberies took place]."

Police describe the primary suspect in the Cresmont Avenue robberies as a black male who was about 30 years of age.

The man is approximately 6 feet tall and weighs between 190 and 200 pounds.

The suspect was last seen wearing a black zip-up coat, white shirt and blue jeans.

A second man, observed standing lookout near the scene of the crime, is described as a 30-year-old black male.

The man is believed to be about six feet tall and 195 pounds. He was last seen wearing a burgundy shirt, blue jeans and a black beanie cap.

The two suspects involved in the Guilford Avenue robberies were both black males in their late teens or early 20s and between 5' 10" to 6' 0''.

One man wore a black hoodie sweatshirt, and the other wore a black jacket.

No one was injured in either incident. As of Nov. 28, no suspects have been detained.

"Because of the amount of cases, waiting for a crime lab may take anywhere from a week to two weeks," the representative said.

Hopkins on-campus security is continuing its routine patrols of the area where the robberies occurred and trying to increase on-campus awareness.

"Once we were alerted, we sent out a bulletin to alert students," said Major George Kipler, head of Hopkins Security Operations.

Kipler urges students traveling alone to take advantage of the escort van service and to call Hopkins security or call 911 if they see any suspicious persons or activities.

Kipler further advises students to always stay alert and pay especial attention to their surroundings.