Two Local Teens Charged With Robbing Customers at Knifepoint at Columbia Gas Station

Two local teenagers have been charged with committing three robberies at an Exxon station in the 8200 block of Snowden River Parkway in Columbia.

Demetrius Burney, 18, of Montgomery Run Road in Columbia, has been charged with multiple counts of armed robbery, assault and theft. The second suspect, a 15-year-old male from Jessup, is facing similar charges as a juvenile. Police said his charges cannot be moved to adult court because he was under the age of 16 at the time the crime was committed.

Howard County police have been investigating the Exxon robberies since the first robbery occurred on Dec. 13.

In that incident, a woman reported that while getting gas at around 4:30 a.m., she was approached by two suspects with knives. She said one suspect forced her to the ground and held her at knifepoint while the other rifled through her car and wallet. She said told the suspects she had nothing of value, and the two ran off.

A few days later, on Dec. 19, a woman reported that while getting gas at around 2:20 a.m., she was approached by two suspects with knives. She reported that one suspect forced her to the ground and held her at knifepoint while the other took cash and her cell phone. The victim told police that one suspect held the knife to her throat and demanded she get into the car. She screamed and the suspect struck her in the face. Both suspects then ran off, and the woman contacted police.

On Feb. 5, around 1:30 a.m., two suspects believed to be the same teens entered the convenience store at the Exxon with their faces partially covered and jumped over the counter.

One suspect was armed with a knife and the other had a handgun. They forced an employee to open the register and took cash before running off. The robbery was captured on video and released to the public on social media. That video is included below.

Howard County detectives received information that led them to Demetrius Burney as a suspect. They served search warrants at the homes of both Burney and the juvenile and located evidence, including clothing, multiple knives and a handgun-style pellet gun. Through investigation, police linked the two teens to all three robbery cases.

Burney is being held at the Howard County Detention Center on $750,000 bond. The juvenile suspect was released on community detention with electronic monitoring.