Police in Chevy Chase Village say their “bait car” caught two car thieves in the act on Thursday morning.
The department says its on-duty dispatcher watched live as a man entered the car on Primrose Street around 3:15 a.m.
The dispatcher immediately sent on-duty officers to the scene. Both Chevy Chase Village and Montgomery County officers responded.
According to the Chevy Chase Village Police, officers used the help of K9 dogs to find the two suspects hiding in a yard in the 6400 block of Brookville Road. Police said the two men split up and ran but were both caught by the K9 dogs and arrested after a short foot pursuit.
Police said the two suspects are Eric Lavon Baten, 35 of the 900 block of Southern Avenue in D.C., and Harrison Earl Anderson, 32 of the 6700 block of Terra Alta Drive in Lanham. Police said Baten was the one caught on video by a microphone and system of hidden cameras — one of which is in the bait car’s dashboard.
Police also said coins and other items were stolen from at least four other cars on Primrose Street. According to police, some of those stolen items were found on Baten and Anderson after a search.
Police charged both men with Breaking and Entering a Motor Vehicle, Theft, Attempted Theft, Trespassing and Resisting Arrest.
Chevy Chase Village got funding for the bait car in October 2012, in a year with a record amount of auto-related thefts. The town of less than half-a-square mile with about 2,000 residents paid $3,800 for the car.
Auto insurance company GEICO, based in nearby Friendship Heights, contributed $4,000 for the equipment.
Video, photos via Chevy Chase Village Police
