One of the most popular businesses in Kentlands, O’Hair Salon and Spa, was robbed on Jan. 18 at 7:52 p.m. by a man armed with a gun.
Over eight city and county police units responded to the call at 424 Main Street.
According to police, the suspect pulled out a handgun and demanded money from a female employee before fleeing the scene. No one was injured, police said, and the suspect, described as a light-skinned black male, 6-foot tall and wearing a black ski mask, jacket and jeans, remains at large.
The Montgomery County Police Department is in charge of the investigation.
Officer Howard Hersh said police have increased patrols in the area and he is reminding residents and employees to call the police if they see someone or something suspicious.
“Kentlands is a tight-knit community,” Hersh said. “You don’t have to be an employee of a business to contact police if you see something suspicious.”
“It is always good to call police, and it may thwart an attack or robbery,” he said. “Citizens are our eyes and ears.”
According to Hersh, Kentlands is not a high crime area. Still, if you are ever a victim of an armed robbery he has some advice.
“Comply with the assailant’s request,” he said. “If at all possible, try to be a good witness. Do what is instructed [and] when safe call the police,” he said.
Despite a recent rash of robberies at late-night businesses countywide, Hersh said, the Kentlands armed robbery appears to be an isolated incident.
“An assailant saw an opportunity to initiate this crime,” he said. “This is an unusual occurrence for the Kentlands.”
Domenic Cicala has owned O’Hair Salon and Spa for 31 years and he said his salon has never been robbed before.
While the robbery was in progress on the street-level floor, he said none of the salon’s clients or employees on the second floor were aware of it.
Not surprisingly, Cicala said his front desk employee was shaken up by the incident. After locking the doors, the employee called Cicala and went upstairs to tell her co-workers what happened.
Cicala said police interviewed the victim to get a suspect description and dusted the business for fingerprints.
Police said they are also hoping to find some surveillance video from nearby businesses.
According to Cicala, the night before the robbery one of his employees reported seeing a suspicious man across the street near a dumpster.
He also noted that the street lamp in front of his Main Street business is not working and he can’t help but wonder if the incident would have ever happened if the Main Street businesses were more robust and viable at night. He noted how few businesses are open after dark and how few people are out and about on the downtown street.
The morning after the robbery, Cicala held a staff meeting to reassure his staff they are in a safe neighborhood and to make sure they realize the chances of something happening like this again are slim. He went over the salon’s “common sense” approach to safety and security issues noting it was a fluke that only one employee happened to be on the first floor when the robbery occurred because two employees are always assigned. The other employee, Cicala said, had just run upstairs to take care of an issue that unexpectedly came up.
Although he already has a closed-circuit camera, Cicala said he now plans to install a surveillance camera.
Police think that is a good idea.
“A surveillance camera is always a good deterrent,” said Hersh. “[The video] assists detectives in solving crimes,” he noted.
With or without surveillance video, Cicala hopes detectives solve this crime too. He said the bottom line is that he wants police to find the suspect and make an arrest.