Andrew Suh: The Wheaton Police Officer Who Catches Bank Robbers

In January, Montgomery County police arrested a man shortly after he allegedly robbed the Capitol One Bank on Georgia Avenue in Wheaton and fled from the bank in a taxi cab.

Last week, the police officer who made the arrest was honored at the Wheaton & Kensington Chamber of Commerce 29th Annual Community Awards Banquet at Hollywood East in Wheaton.

Officer Andrew Suh received the 4th District Police Public Safety Award.

Commander John Damskey told the story to those at the banquet of how Suh had driven around the area, seen the cab outside a barbershop and went inside, where he found the robbery suspect sitting in a barber chair covered in red paint from the dye pack that had exploded on him as he fled from the bank.  

"Now in policework, we call that a clue," Damskey said.

Suh, who has been a member of the police force for nearly three years, modestly calls it "chance." He said that when he opened the door to the barber shop, the wind blew in and lifted the apron on the suspect so that Suh could see the red paint.

The Montgomery County Police Department has released a statement honoring Suh and detailing his involvement in three major arrests in the Wheaton area:

In January 2013, the Capitol One Bank on Georgia Avenue was robbed by a suspect with a handgun.  This was the second commerical robbery of the day committed by the suspect.  The suspect had fled from the bank in a taxi cab.  Officer Suh circulated in the area of the bank robbery and observed a taxi cab parked in front of a nearby barber shop.  Officer Suh went inside the barber shop and located the robbery suspect sitting in a barber chair covered in red paint from the dye pack that had exploded on him as he fled from the bank.  Officer Suh arrested the suspect, thereby closing both armed robberies from that day.  Of special note, this was Officer Suh’s second arrest of an armed bank robbery suspect in his three years as a police officer.

In February 2013, Officer Suh responded to a report of suspicious subjects walking through backyards.  He located two men in the yards, and investigation revealed that they had just committed a residential burglary.  The two men were arrested.

Seven days following the burglary arrest, Officer Suh responded to a burglary in which the victim’s credit cards were stolen and several fraudulent purchases were subsequently made.  Officer Suh developed two suspects in this burglary and confirmed their identity by viewing video surveillance from establishments where the purchases were made.  Officer Suh arrested both suspects and subsequently identified and arrested a third.

For other award winners this year: Community Members Honored at Annual Awards Banquet