Police delay release of information for a week

By Ryan Gallagher

Staff Writer

Police say gang members beat three innocent bystanders after they were caught in the middle of a rival gang fight that broke out in the Wheaton Shopping Center on Feb. 17.

The information wasn't released for at least a week. But, police say as many as 30 high school-aged teens, many from rival gangs in Wheaton and Takoma Park, met to fight outside of the shopping center, located in the 2800 block of University Boulevard, before some of them attacked and injured an innocent family from Alexandria, Va. Wheaton gang members apparently fled the fight and took refuge at the Nextel store located inside of the shopping plaza when their rivals gave chase.

"We do know that the Wheaton Shopping Center was not their intended meeting location. They had a dispute between members and were looking for a private place to confront one another," said Lucille Baur, Montgomery police media spokesperson. "The concern is that while the three victims were not at all intended targets, they became the victims of violence because of the two gangs meeting."

The three innocent bystanders- a husband, 50, wife, 47, and son, 24, were injured in the incident after they were struck by metal batons and chairs carried by the teens outside of the Nextel store. As the family entered the Wachovia Bank next to the phone store, gang members knocked the mother to the floor. The husband and son defended the mother, but were both allegedley struck with the chairs and batons in the process. All three victims were treated and released at a nearby hospital. Police say the Wheaton gang members sustained no injuries.

Police arrested a 15-year-old boy from Silver Spring in connection to the incident. He is charged as a juvenile with two counts of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree assault. Police say other arrests are likely to occur, but are seeking any information from the spectators that gathered to watch the fight.

MCPD will not release the names of the gangs involved in the incident and waited a week before issuing a press release on the fight. Baur said the delay in informing the public was for investigative purposes. "We were hoping to make additional arrests, so without drawing attention to the incident, investigators had the opportunity to determine answers without gang members being aware of the extensive investigations," said Baur.