According to Maryland State Police, one suspect died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound after the get-away vehicle crashed
On June 17 at 9:24 a.m., Charles County Sheriff’s officers responded to Wachovia Bank at 3050 Waldorf Market Place in Waldorf for a report of an armed robbery. The initial investigation revealed that three suspects had entered the bank armed with a handgun and a shotgun and announced a robbery. Two of the suspects jumped over the teller counter and began stealing money from the registers while the third suspect ordered the bank’s seven employees and seven customers to the center lobby and forced them to the ground at gunpoint. After securing an undisclosed amount of cash, the suspects fled the scene.
A description of the vehicle the suspects were driving was dispatched and shortly thereafter, Sheriff’s officers observed the vehicle traveling north on Crain Highway. Officers pursued the vehicle into Prince George’s County, where it crashed. Two of the suspects fled on foot and one remained in the vehicle.
Additional officers from the Sheriff’s Office as well as the Maryland State Police and Prince George’s County Police Department quickly arrived on the scene. Several officers pursued the two suspects who fled on foot and apprehended them a short distance away behind a shopping center. Sheriff’s officers assisted the Maryland State Police at the crash scene where according to a Maryland State Police investigation, evidence preliminary indicates the third suspect died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound. The Maryland State Police is handling that investigation.
The suspects who were apprehended are identified as Dontae Tyrell Jefferson, 28, of Baltimore and Robert Alexander Paniagua, 19, of Towson. Sheriff’s detectives charged them with multiple counts of armed robbery, first degree assault and theft. They are being held at the Charles County Detention Center pending an appearance before the district court commissioner.
More information on the shooting will follow.