WASHINGTON — A man has died after he tried using a toy gun to rob an off-duty police officer.
An off-duty Baltimore City police officer in the department’s Special Operations Section was visiting a home in the 100 block of Homewood Road in Linthicum Heights. According to Anne Arundel County Police, he was getting out of his car in at around 1:30 am Saturday when 32-year-old Edel Moreland approached him, pulled out what looked like an actual gun and told the officer he was robbing him.
The officer, who was described as an 18-year veteran of the force, was not in uniform. According to the report, he pulled out his concealed service weapon and shot Moreland. The suspect tried to get away, but collapsed and died.
The toy gun used in the attempted robbery looked like a real revolver, police said.
“The way the detectives described that gun, they definitely said it was really real,” Anne Arundel County Police Lt. Ryan Frashure told WTOP. “These guns are very common. It’s a very big problem nationwide with these toy guns. They look so realistic.”
Frashure said that while crime is not very common in Linthicum Heights, it’s another reminder to always be alert no matter where you are.
Detectives are still working to determine if the off-duty officer will be facing any charges.
Anne Arundel County Police are working with Baltimore City Police on the investigation and encourage anyone who may have seen or heard anything involving this incident to contact the county’s homicide detectives at 410-222-4731 or the police tip line at 410-222-4700.
