Crime & Safety

Police: Surveillance Footage Leads to Arrest in Snowden Gas Station Robbery

The man was seen on surveillance video buying cigarettes the day before he allegedly robbed the store with his face covered.

 

Police charged a 31-year-old man with armed robbery of a Snowden Exxon after a store clerk recognized the man as a customer from the day before.

Cedric Ryan Murphy, who has no fixed address, was charged in the robbery.

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Police said a clerk at the gas station recognized the man who robbed him, even though his face was partially covered with a bandanna, as the same man who bought a pack of Newport cigarettes the day before.

The man was wearing the same clothes on both days, according to police, who reviewed security footage from the incident. During the robbery, the man threatened the clerk with a knife and stole two to three cartons of Newport cigarettes and cash, said police. The robbery occurred Jan. 19.

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The Exxon is located in the 8200 block of Snowden River Parkway, near the intersection of Snowden and Waterloo Road.

Police identified Murphy as a suspect through an investigation and arrested him on April 12 during a traffic stop. During his arrest, police said he resisted officers, attempted to reach for an officer's gun and threatened to harm himself. Police said he was not physically injured, but was taken to Howard County General Hospital for an evaluation. 

Police reported finding illegal drugs on Murphy during the arrest.

Murphy was later released from the hospital and is being held without bail at the Howard County Detention Center, according to police. He is charged with armed robbery, second-degree assault, theft, resisting arrest, drug possession and attempting to disarm a police officer.

This particular Exxon station was robbed three times between September and January, according to police. 

Police arrested two men believed to be involved in a Jan. 5 incident at the gas station, in which one man threw coffee at the clerk while the other stole money from the cash register.

The third robbery of the gas station occurred on Sept. 23. Police reported two men entered the Exxon, one stood near the doorway, while the other approached the counter, displayed a knife and stole money and two cartons of cigarettes around 3:25 a.m.

The Sept. 23 investigation remains under investigation, according to police.

Related Articles

Snowden Exxon Robbed Three Times Since September

Police Release Video of Exxon Robbery Suspect

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