Police said they are investigating the assault and attempted robbery of a flower vendor on a beltway exit ramp in the Silver Spring area near New Hampshire Avenue.
On Sunday, Maryland State Police (MSP) troopers responded to a reported attempted robbery on the exit ramp from Interstate 495 East to Route 650 South, according to MSP.
According to police, a 64-year-old woman was selling flowers along the road, and a driver in an SUV called her over while stopped in traffic on the ramp. The people in the car pretended to be interested in buying flowers but reportedly grabbed the woman’s purse. They sped away and the victim was briefly dragged and fell with her purse.
She was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries and released.
The SUV was darker-colored with D.C. license plates, according to MSP, and, “Police believe it was occupied by at least two Black males, one of whom was wearing a ski mask.” The SUV was last seen going southbound on Route 650, according to police.
The investigation is ongoing. The Montgomery County Police Department is assisting. Police ask anyone with information to contact Trooper Hershberger at the Rockville Barrack at 301-424-2101.
