Armed robbery reported at Dual Highway convenience store

May 02, 2012

Hagerstown police are investigating an armed robbery that occurred Wednesday morning at a Dual Highway convenience store, city police said.

Police received a report of an armed robbery in progress at the 7-Eleven at 1623 Dual Highway at 4:53 a.m., according to Hagerstown Police Department news release.

Officers were told a male wearing a blue, hooded sweat shirt entered the store, brandished a handgun and demanded money, the release said.

The robber left the store with an undisclosed amount of cash and escaped on foot, police said.

Authorities trying to alert citizens to the robbery accidentally used the wrong telephone-messaging format, officials said.

County residents can sign up on online for the emergency-alert system, choosing to receive messages about crimes, severe weather or utility problems, said Jason Kline, spokesman for the Washington County 911 center.

Police decided to use the warning system for the robbery, but it was only intended to go to a specific group of recipients, Kline said.

Instead, the alert went to everyone within a two-mile radius, according to a Kline and a county news release.

The alert, which was sent at 5:30 a.m., ended up going to many businesses like Meritus Medical Center, and dispatchers received many calls about the alert, Kline said.

“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused. We have taken steps both internally and operationally to help assure that this should not occur in the future,” Kline said in the release.

The alert was intended to encourage people to be on the lookout if they saw anything suspicious after the robbery.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call the Hagerstown police supervisor at 301-790-3700.

— Dave McMillion

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