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Violent break-ins plague Montgomery County
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Related Topics: Montgomery County
Montgomery County (Map, News) - A Friday morning break-in that left one man in the hospital with a gun shot wound was part of a wave of home invasions, some of them violent, that have afflicted Montgomery County over the past two months, police records show.
The robbery began at approximately 12:39 a.m., when four men, one of whom was described as masked and carrying a gun, broke into a Germantown apartment. When the three people sleeping in the apartment were awakened, they were robbed, and one was shot before the intruders fled.
From July 29 to Sept. 19, 354 home burglaries were reported in Mongtomery County. Wheaton reported 69 and Rockville reported 58, according to the Montgomery County Police Crime Statistics. Silver Spring reported 86 through Sept. 11.
Department spokeswoman Lucille Baur acknowledged the rise number of home invasions in recent months, but attributed it them to random occurrence.
"These crimes occur on a regular basis and we are investigating that," said Baur. "But each one is a distinct incident in and of itself and we don't consider this a trend."
The gunshot victim was taken to an area trauma center and is in serious condition. His wound is non-life-threatening, according to police.
The residents described a stocky, 20-year-old black man as the gunman. He was accompanied by a Hispanic man in his 20s wearing a dark shirt and baggy jeans, a thin white man, and an fourth man the victims could not describe.
A police investigation is ongoing.
