Owner of Maryland gun shop accused of shooting at unmarked police car

ROCKVILLE, Md. — The owner of a Maryland gun shop is accused of firing a gun at an undercover police car, authorities said.

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Andrew Starr Raymond, 42, of Darnestown, was arrested Tuesday and charged with one count of first-degree assault, according to Montgomery County online booking records.

According to the Montgomery County Police Department, an officer in an unmarked vehicle pulled into the parking lot of Engage Armament, a gun shop in Rockville, shortly after 12:30 a.m. EST on Tuesday, WTOP Radio reported. That is when a man ran toward the officer’s vehicle and began firing a weapon, according to WRC-TV.

As the officer attempted to drive away, he radioed for assistance, WJLA-TV reported. He also activated the undercover vehicle’s emergency equipment, signaling that he was a police officer.

“The shop owner did surrender, hands in the air, without the weapon in his hand, as the officers approached to address him,” Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones told the television station. “The shop owner was apologetic to the officers.”

The officer was patrolling the area because of several gun store burglaries, WUSA-TV reported.

“We’re trying to be proactive in looking for any suspicious activities around these gun shops,” Jones told WJLA. “And just through the normal course of driving through the parking lot, and making observations, the next thing you know, shots are being fired at you.

“The officer was clearly in fear for his life.”

On Nov. 25, Atlantic Guns, another gun shop in Rockville, was targeted by thieves, WUSA reported. The suspects used a stolen car to slam into the building before stealing firearms from the business.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms said that five similar burglaries have occurred in Maryland since Nov. 19, according to the television station.

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