On Friday, March 14th, at approximately 6:45 AM, a Sherwood High School teacher experienced an attempted car theft while visiting the Starbucks located in the Shoppes at Olney shopping center (3126 Olney Sandy Spring Rd). We interviewed the teacher who told us she typically visits the Starbucks on Friday mornings as a weekly treat and reported that she has never encountered anything like this at that location.
According to the teacher, she parked her vehicle under a lamp post and locked the doors before heading inside to pick up her mobile order, which took no longer than 30 seconds. As she exited the store and unlocked her car from a distance of about 50 feet, she noticed a silver SUV parked next to her with its passenger side door open. To her shock, she saw a man inside of her vehicle.
In response, she screamed loudly, prompting the suspect to jump out of her car. The teacher instinctively chased after him, grabbing onto the door handle of the SUV as the driver attempted to speed away. She let go of the handle as the vehicle accelerated, and fortunately, her car remained untouched, with no belongings taken from inside. She believed the suspects may have been trying to steal her car or something inside of her car, but her screams appeared to have scared them off.
Following the incident, the teacher reported feeling terrified and in “fight mode” during the encounter. After realizing there were no witnesses in the parking lot, she returned to her car and drove to Sherwood High School to report the incident to the non-emergency police line.
The teacher described the situation as deeply unsettling, stating that there were two suspects involved– one in her car and the other driving the getaway vehicle. Despite feeling violated and shaken, she expressed gratitude that she was unharmed and that no personal belongings were accessible to the intruder.
Since the incident, which only occurred this past Friday morning, the teacher has not returned to the Starbucks or the surrounding parking lot. She noted that although she recognizes this as a rare occurrence, it has impacted her sense of safety. She emphasized the importance of being cautious, particularly as a woman, and acknowledged a heightened awareness of her surroundings.
A good Samaritan, who witnessed the incident while working for DoorDash, attempted to chase the suspects, but lost them as they sped through red lights on Route 108. The teacher told us that the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) is investigating the incident and is utilizing footage from a speed camera to identify the suspects. We have reached out to MCPD and will update with any additional details they may provide.