At least six armed robberies have occurred on Washington, D.C. and Maryland postal service mail carriers ahead of the July 4th holiday.
According to the reports, the U.S. postal service officials have sounded the alarm after robberies took place over a two-day period.
In an official statement released by U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) spokesman Michael Martel at a press conference recently, he insisted that “this alarming trend needs to stop. It is a sad state of affairs when it comes down to robberies against someone that provides an essential service to our communities. But it’s happening here, and it’s got to end.”
Although Martel didn’t go into further detail regarding the potential motive of the robberies, he claimed that the suspects are taking personal property as well as “a wide variety of items that the postal service provides their carriers to do their jobs on a daily basis,” but her made it clear that he doesn’t believe they have stolen any mail at this time.
Martel also revealed that the suspects in all six robberies that occurred in the D.C. metro area had brandished their firearms with two of those cases, having victims being struck in the face or head and were assaulted.
The USPIS Spokesman also assured the public that none of the carriers were hospitalized. Although they sustained minor injuries, the victims did not require additional medical care.
Meanwhile on Friday, four new robberies have occurred in postal service letter carriers.
Reports revealed that the first robbery took place in Wheaton, Maryland at around 10:30 a.m. where a suspect approached a letter carrier. The suspect also brandished his firearm and demanded property before running back inside a black sedan.
Another robbery took place almost 20 minutes after the first incident where the suspect approached another mail carrier at gunpoint and demanded property before fleeing the scene in a vehicle matching the same description.
The victims described the suspects “as a Black male with a high-pitched voice, possibly in his 20s, wearing a black ski mask, all black clothing and standing between 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8,” Fox News reported.
The third robbery took place around 11:24 a.m on Friday where a suspect approached a mail carrier while on his route in Northwest Washington, D.C. The suspect also demanded property. However, the robber assaulted the letter carrier and struck him in his chin.
Police revealed that the suspect snatched property and fled the scene in a black Mercedes.
Meanwhile, the final robbery incident took place on the same day around 1:30 p.m. in Columbia, Maryland. The suspect also approached a letter carrier, brandished and threatened the victim with a firearm and demanded property.
Authorities revealed that victims described suspects in both incidents as young, slim Black males standing approximately 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10 and wearing ski masks.
Following the freightening series of robberies, Martel announced a reward of up to $50,000 for any information that will lead to the identification, arrest and prosecution of the individuals involved.
“The amount is substantial and reflects the commitment of the Postal Inspection Service to postal service letter carriers making their rounds for us,” Martel said in an announcement.
Anyone with information is asked to contact postal inspectors by calling 877-876-2455.
