WASHINGTON — Two people were arrested after two stolen cars with firearms stolen from Rockville City police turned up near a Montgomery County school.
Mario G. Alvarado, 18, is accused of stealing a car that had an AR-15 assault rifle and ammunition in the trunk and driving that car to Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, Maryland, Monday.
Alvarado, 18, of Wheaton, Maryland, has been arrested and charged with possession of a deadly weapon on school property, possession of an assault weapon, possession of a stolen vehicle and other firearm related charges.
“We don’t know what Mr. Alvarado’s intention was for having an AR-15, but thankfully he didn’t try to use it in any type of way or threaten anybody with it,” said Montgomery County police spokesman Officer Rick Goodale.
According to charging documents, a Montgomery County police school resource officer assigned Albert Einstein High School was patrolling the parking lot at around 10:30 a.m. Monday and noticed Alvarado acting suspiciously.
The officer observed Alvarado exit a blue Mazda 3 parked behind the school and walk toward the school, returning to the car a short time later. Alvarado drove away from school grounds, and the school resource officer tried to pull him over, but Alvarado got out of the car and ran away.
He walked back to the car “a short time later,” where he was arrested, police said.
Police discovered that the car, along with an AR-15 assault rifle and loaded and unloaded magazines in the trunk, had been reported stolen. The assault rifle had been stolen from a Rockville City Police Department car on April 29.
The charging documents say that later, at a police station, Alvarado admitted knowing that the car was stolen and that there was a stolen rifle inside.
Officers also located a black Nissan Frontier parked near the school that had been reported stolen on April 22 from a Wheaton residence. Inside, officers found a shotgun that had been stolen from the same Rockville City Police Department car on April 29.
There are no outstanding weapons stolen from the police car, a detective confirms.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested Tuesday and charged with auto theft offenses. He was released to the custody of his parents.
Alvarado is being held on a $2,000 bond.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information regarding these crimes is asked to call 240-773-6710.
WTOP’s Jennifer Ortiz and Sarah Beth Hensley contributed to this report.
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