2 injured in possible robbery during online sale meetup in Laurel
Two people were shot during a noon online-sale meetup near Harris Teeter in Laurel, and police are urging buyers and sellers to use a safe exchange zone.
Laurel police are investigating a shooting in Prince George’s County that left two people injured during what officers believe was a meetup for an online sale in the 14700 block of Baltimore Avenue. The case is being treated as a possible robbery. Police said the shooting happened around 12:35 p.m. Sunday, and both victims had non-life-threatening injuries and were expected to survive.
The shooting unfolded at Towne Centre at Laurel, the mixed-use retail center at 14828 Baltimore Ave. and a familiar stop along Route 1, near the Harris Teeter at 14702 Baltimore Ave. That kind of setting, with stores, restaurants and a grocery anchor in one busy corridor, has made the shopping center a common place for private sales to change hands, but Laurel police are warning that those meetups can turn dangerous fast.
Police are again steering residents toward designated safe exchange zones for online transactions. The Laurel Police Department’s station at 811 5th Street is one of those locations, and it is under video surveillance around the clock, a step intended to make face-to-face exchanges less vulnerable to theft or violence. City officials say the department has long emphasized community policing, security surveys and partnerships with local businesses as part of its public-safety strategy.
Laurel police said the investigation remains open and asked anyone with information to call 301-498-0092 or email LPDtips@laurel.md.us. Chief of Police Russell E. Hamill, III, is listed on the city’s contact page at the same department number, underscoring how closely the shooting and the department’s safety warning are now tied together for residents using online marketplaces around Laurel.
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