Lansdowne Man Charged in Columbia Robberies

Howard County police have charged a Lansdowne man in four purse snatchings near Columbia Mall, according to officials.

Andrew Deangelo Blackstone, 23, of the 2900 block of Charleston Ave., faces charges of armed robbery, four counts of robbery, one count of first-degree assault, three counts of second-degree assault, four counts of theft of less than $1000 and two counts of drug possession, police said.

In the first incident, on June 6, a woman said that she was robbed at around 9:30 a.m. in a parking garage on the 10300 block of Swift Stream Place, according to police. The woman was placing her purse in the trunk of her car when a man reportedly approached and pushed her, and took her purse containing a wallet, iPhone and iPad.

On July 3, police said, at around 9 a.m. a woman was in a parking garage on the 10400 block o Swift Stream Place when a man armed with a knife approached her and removed her from her vehicle. The man grabbed the woman's purse, which contained a wallet and iPhone, and fled, according to police.

On July 9, at around 8:10 p.m. a woman reported that she was walking in the hallway of an apartment building on the 10400 block of Swift Stream Place after parking her vehicle when a man grabbed her neck from behind and forced her to the ground. The woman said that she was kicked in the back and legs before the suspect took her purse containing a wallet, iPhone and passport, police said.

On July 18, a woman walking to her vehicle in a parking lot on the 10400 block of Swift Stream Place at around 7:30 a.m. was approached from behind by a man who forcibly took her purse, according to police.

A police investigation identified Blackstone as the suspect, who frequently stays with a friend on Swift Stream Place, according to officials.

Blackstone remains in custody at the Howard County Detention Facility on $500,000 bond, according to police spokesperson Sherry Llewellyn.