Blair students attacked in Takoma Park over summer

Junior Lauren DalBello was robbed at gunpoint on June 30th at around 11 PM in one of a string of violent events in Takoma Park over the summer.

DalBello said that she was walking with a friend to the friend's house when a suspicious car drove by. When they got to the friend's house, the car came back and a man told them to give him all their money. "I only had change," said Dalbello, "but I gave it to him anyway." DalBello's friend told her that while she was groping around on the ground, after dropping her change, the man was steadily pointing the gun at her.

Later in the summer, a 2002 Blair graduate who wished for her name to be witheld was assaulted on Tulip Avenue on July 23 at around 9:30 PM.

The victim said that a man came out of the bushes and approached her car. He proceeded to slash one of her tires. Then the suspect began to beat on victim's car window with a knife. She was sitting inside the car and after the suspect broke the window, she was stabbed in the arm. The victim was treated and released from the hospital.

The suspect involved has been described as a black male, 5'7", medium build, bald, and possibly in his early 20s. He was wearing a black shirt with a "Takoma Park" logo and black pants.

The victim suggested that students "stay in groups" to stay safe and to avoid "parking near foliage."

DalBello recommends not trying to be tough when a person threatens you with a gun. "The best thing is to do what he says," she said.

According to the Washington Post, later in the summer on August 12, a visitor from Seattle was fatally shot in an apparent robbery near the Takoma Park Metro station. The woman's body was found near Takoma Elementary School in Takoma/D.C.

Anyone with any information on the suspects involved should call the Takoma Park Police department at 301-270-1100.