Demarco Has Updated His Profile Picture: Walking into a Game Stop store located within the Hechinger Mall in the 1500 block of Maryland Avenue NE, a man allegedly pulled a silver handgun from his backpack and demanded money. Two store employees forked over several hundred dollars and the suspect escaped. A crisp image of the alleged perp was captured by a security camera, however.

Police have cuffed Demarco Scott for the crime. According to an MPD Listerv: “A short track of the suspect lead detectives to his home address, on April 19, 2010, he was placed under arrest without incident.”

Every Community Has Its Criminals: A four-person crew that carjacked a man in the area of 3rd and K Streets NW are “possible members of the transgender community,” cops say. The caper happened in the early morning hours of April 16. The suspects apparently assaulted the victim before taking his wheels.

I Thought You Were Supposed to Bring the Crowbar: Three armed robbers descended on a business in the 1500 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW. The robbery initially went off without a hitch. The first gunman entered the biz and told everyone not to move. The second and third entered and ordered everyone to the ground. “The suspects then attempted to remove currency from the cash registers,” cops say. That’s where things went wrong. The registers were locked, so the would-be bandits had to flee without the cash.

No Cigs in the Crown Vic: An MPD listserv poster wants to know if a cop lighting up inside a patrol car is against the rules. The poster, ANC Commissioner GiGi Ransom, writes:

“This is not about (I hope) a 4D officer, but is there a rule about officers smoking while driving in patrol cars? Yesterday evening about 6:10pm, a
patrol car was going westbound on Taylor St NE, sitting at the light at
Hawaii Ave. The officer had all the windows down, with the cigarette in his
left hand, drawing and then thinking he was blowing the smoke outside the
car, but of course I could see some of the smoke blowing back in.”

This prompts a less than friendly response from poster Farley Nyobe:

“OMG! He’s fighting crime and helping to keep the streets safe and he can’t have a cigarette? Please tell me I didn’t just read this!”

But as it turns out Ransom is right. Assistant Police Chief Diane Groomes informs the Blotter that a cop smoking in a police vehicle is against policy.

Not What I Meant By Student-Teacher Conference: The Montgomery County police and MPD are investigating the kidnapping of a 30-year-old Takoma Park woman by two suspects on April 16. The Post identifies the woman as a D.C. teacher and that one of her assailants is also one of her students. The woman was near her vehicle in the Adams Morgan area when she was approached by two suspects who forced her into her car and told her to drive to an area bank. She complied.

Around Bel Pre Road and Georgia Avenue in Montgomery County, the woman managed to slip free of her captors and flag down a passing motorist. The woman sustained minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital.

Photo courtesy of MPD