Crime & Safety

Quality Inn Guest Thwarts Armed Robbery

The man was told not to move, but ran into the lobby and called police instead.

A man preparing to check-in at the Quality Inn at 2310 Plank Rd. found himself facing three men with two guns Tuesday night.

The 56-year-old male reported that at 9:50 p.m. Oct. 8, while walking
through the parking lot toward the hotel to check-in, he noticed three male subjects all dressed in black walking in the opposite direction, Natatia Bledsoe, Fredericksburg Police Department public information officer, said.

"A few moments later, the victim heard a sound which caused him to look behind him and he saw one of the male subjects, now wearing a mask, pointing two handguns at him," Bledsoe said.

The victim heard the suspect ordering him not to move, but the victim immediately ran inside the lobby and called police.

"Officers and Fredericksburg Sheriff’s deputies searched the area and located three men matching the descriptions provided by the victim behind the nearby BP gas station," Bledsoe said.  "The victim identified the three individuals as the same men he had seen just prior to the robbery attempt," she said.

A vehicle belonging to one of the suspects was also found in the parking lot of the Greenbrier Shopping Center and officers collected a number of items of evidence from inside it.

The investigation led to the following charges:

Paul Allen Marshall, 21, of King George was arrested for attempted robbery, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, possession of burglary tools and possession of a stolen firearm.

William Ernest Brown, 26, of Colonial Beach was arrested for attempted robbery, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, possession of burglary tools, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

George Lofonzo Whiting, 24, of Montross was arrested for attempted robbery, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, possession of burglary tools, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

All three suspects were incarcerated at the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond. The investigation is ongoing.

More crime news:
Residents Hear Noises in Kitchen, Startle Intruder

Stafford Women's Death Considered a Homicide

Man Injured in Hit and Run on Lafayette Blvd.

4-Year-Old Shot Through Hand

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