Montgomery County police arrested a Silver Spring man they allege is responsible for three armed robberies—the hold-ups of a convenience store and a bank yesterday in Wheaton, and an attempted robbery of a Silver Spring bank on Jan. 23.
Police allege that Joseph Urrutia, 47, is the person responsible in all three robberies, according to a police statement released on Tuesday. Urrutia, of the 900 block of Benson Terrace in Silver Spring, was charged with three counts of armed robbery and is being held on a $125,000 bond.
Police obtained surveillance video of the suspect after the Jan. 23 armed robbery of the Capital One Bank located at 115 University Boulevard, near Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring. According to police, the suspect entered the bank, presented a note to the teller and fled without obtaining any money.
The second armed robbery took place on Monday, Jan. 28. Police responded to the Kiss & Ride Convenience Store located at 11175 Georgia Ave. near the Wheaton Metro Station at 11:43 a.m. According to police, the suspect had entered the store, pointed a handgun at an employee, and obtained cash from the register and from the employee’s purse. The suspect then fled from the store.
Later that day, at approximately 4:10 p.m., police responded to the Capital One Bank located at 11241 Georgia Ave. for a report of an armed robbery. According to the police investigation, the suspect entered the bank and approached the teller window. The suspect then passed a note to the teller demanding cash and displayed a handgun. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of cash, the suspect fled the bank.
Following the bank robbery, a Fourth District police officer in the area observed a taxi cab awaiting a fare. The officer asked the taxi driver about whom he was picking up. While speaking with the taxi driver, the officer noticed a subject matching the description of the suspect in both robberies inside a nearby business. Officers stopped Urrutia and arrested him for the three armed robberies.
