Good Samaritan Catches, Holds Robbery Suspect For Police

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A citizen stopped and held a suspect who was fleeing from a robbery Tuesday afternoon in Halethorpe.

Police arrived on the scene around 4:14 p.m. to find the man kneeling on the suspected robber about a block from where the robbery occurred.

Officers say a security company called when an employee pushed a holdup alarm button during the robbery.  The suspect entered Baltimore Highlands Pharmacy in the 4100 block of Annapolis Road, pointed a gun at an employee and demanded pills and pharmaceuticals that are kept in a locked area.

The suspect, identified as 37-year-old Robert James Richter of the 5400 block of East Drive in Halethorpe, then fled on foot. During the robbery another employee was having a telephone conversation with the man who would hold the suspect.

When the employee told him they were being robbed he responded from a nearby location. When he arrived, the employees pointed out the suspect, who had stopped a short distance from the pharmacy.

The man chased after the robber, before catching him and getting into a brief altercation with Richter. He held Richter until police arrived and took him into custody.

Police recovered the gun which was then determined to be a pellet gun.

Richter is charged with armed robbery, first degree assault, and grand theft. He is being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center.

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