Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault inside a parking garage in Bethesda early Thursday evening, August 6, 2026. The assault was reported inside the parking garage in the 5300 block of Zenith Overlook at the Westbard Square development at 6:42 PM. That garage became a hot spot for smash-and-grab thefts from vehicles last year, until property owner Regency Centers installed security cameras it said police would have access to. This is the fourth known assault at the development so far this year.
Given the population growth on the West side of Bethesda, and recognizing the amount of property taxes we pay, we are overdue for the Westbard area to have a Police station.
ReplyDeleteChevy Chase village has one. The coverage residents get along the River Road corridor is deficient.
7:34 - There's a section of Chevy Chase that's an incorporated town which is why they have their own police. But I don't disagree with your comment. Anti-police and defund the police rhetoric still persists among the ranks and recruiting and morale remains low and early retirement high.
DeleteThe street level of the Westbard parking garage should have had a portico style design along its perimeter to provide visibility and deter thefts.
DeleteThe coverage of residents get along River Road is nonexistent.
Last month they raided Green Acres and stole several catalytic converters.
Residents along River Road wake up in the middle of the night by the extremely loud noises of speeding, glass lined muffler muscle cars.
Perhaps a permanent MoCoPolice presence in the area (either uniformed patrol or a substation) would help reverse this troubling trend.
DeleteWhere is Andrew Friedson on this issue????
Is he STILL on Nantucket?
Shouldn’t ideas like this be coming from his office???
No kidding and ... ANOTHER assault/violent incident in this neighborhood?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have the data for crimes BEFORE the re-development? Just wondering. Thanks.
9:50 - As I posted, the prior stats cannot be that high.
DeleteI used to shop there since the mid-eighties. The only scare I recall was the possibility of the beltway sniper visiting the outdoor parking lot.
DeleteTaxes paid are not commensurate with police protection as people who run MC/MD are striving for equal outcomes so the goal is for BCC to be every bit as bad as DTSS.
ReplyDeleteTaxes is the vehicle they use to redistribute the wealth in this county.
DeleteIndeed, you just hit the proverbial nail on the head!
DeleteJust wait for the PL! They'll only need to ride it one way into Bethesda.
Delete@3:49 dogwhistle
Delete@7:44 Projection
Delete@4:32 gaslighting
Delete@7:45 More Projection
Delete8:17 Said the exact truth - equal outcomes in all sectors of the county. Equal distribution of misery is the goal.
Delete@6:18 she's trying to use words she doesn't understand :(
Delete8:32 still trying to define themselves as someone who can think things through.
DeleteDoes anyone realize that these incidents did not happen in the over 40 years the original center was operating? Were there some problems there? I am sure there were. But how in the world did we get to this place where you have a brand-new shopping and living community and this happens in that garage more times than you can count? Keep voting Dem.
ReplyDeleteSadly, the building design is conducive to this type of criminal behavior.
DeleteThat's what I'm saying, JAC. I posted above, inquiring about stats before the developers came in. Anyone have the before/after data (maybe 5 years before, and since the new housing and venues opened up)?
Delete@11:19 - The prior building design was open air, which would seem more conducive to any nefarious behavior. The escape undetected was much easier.
Delete@10:52 AM Are you speaking as a victim or as a perpetrator?
DeleteThere were a number of carjackings in the old Westbard parking lot. For a time, there were undercover police sitting near the apartment.
ReplyDelete10:51: What was the time frame of those carjackings? I've been following the crime stats closely for many years and cannot recall a carjacking being reported there. Somebody was pistol whipped and robbed by the Park Bethesda one night over 10 years ago, but such crimes were rare prior to the redevelopment. Of course, this redevelopment dovetails with the 2020-2026 defund the police crime wave that we're still experiencing, so it's hard to quantify or apportion the blame 100% accurately. But crime at the old shopping center was limited to shoplifting and occasional thefts from unlocked vehicles, in my experience.
Delete@10:52 AM The only nefarious behavior I recall was the sideswiping of one's car and then leaving and park somewhere else. I personally witnessed a few of them. Also, the parking lot was well lit and you have several other store with customer constantly coming in and out that discouraged nefarious behavior.
Delete@10:51 AM Are you sure you're not mixing up parking lots
DeleteWhere are all the police? I saw a large pickup truck doing burnouts at downtown Bethesda traffic lights last week. Couple of blocks from the police station.
ReplyDeleteThe police are tone deaf.
DeleteActually their hands are tied by McCarthy whose policy is catch and release so why bother catching?
DeleteJust how to you expect the police to police activity such as a "burnout"? Unless they are just sitting around, wasting time and money, what you are complaining about is a mute issue.
Delete9::22 AM Who is this elusive person you are referring to?
Delete@9:22 AM aka The Lord of the Legal Loopholes!
DeleteDoes 3:15 even live in MC or as a dutiful D voter just pull the lever?
DeleteI wonder if an enclosed parking garage serving up-market retailers is more attractive to criminals than the former wide open surface parking lot with an older supermarket and supporting service shops.
ReplyDeleteWonder no more. the facts speak for themselves.
DeleteWhat up-market retailers are there? The restaurants?
DeleteAndrew Friedson is a short-timer.
ReplyDeleteHe was first runner up in the primary election for county executive.
Delete4:08, Robert - Exactly correct. Never, ever heard anything major in the over 40 years that center was operating just as I said. This new center is an unattractive and confusing layout on top of this crime which is more than frequent. It's a real shame that most vote Dem no matter what expecting, somehow, different results. You get what you vote for. Are the Kenwood, Wood Acres and Summer residents happy about this? Put the old center back. Problem solved. .
ReplyDeleteYour stage coach leaves any moment now, be on it.
Delete@10:57 AM Are you riding shotgun?
DeleteSo much speculation without any details. Did the parties know each other? Domestic dispute? Giant employee dispute?
ReplyDeleteSpeculation and fearmongering is all they have here.
DeleteIgnorance and apathy is all 8:34 has. Try defending your position for once. You took the large L in the last thread by defending the indefensible and here you are again.
Delete@9:44 she thinks she ate :( when will she learn?
DeleteDoes 1:00 even understand what they're saying?
Delete@1:00 did you ever explain yourself for the misinformation about the type of crimes some illegals are guilty of?
DeleteHaving a massive garage was an odd choice for a suburban shopping center. And it was poorly designed. They're still trying to make the traffic flow work on the ramps to Giant.
ReplyDelete12:37: The ramp dimensions scream "cost cutting" - and literally no one not on a payroll asked for a garage on Westbard.
Delete8:39: Domestic disputes are typically flagged as such in the system. There was no indication of that here, but details are released at the discretion of the political leadership of the police department. I print all available information, so any "lack of further detail" complaints can and should be addressed to MCPD's political leadership.
9:22: Actual quote from a McCarthy prosecutor to a crime victim asking why minimum charges are being filed despite evidence and eyewitnesses to more: "We wouldn't want to pile on." Unbelievable.
Not going to get into the completely unnecessary use (twice!) of "political" to describe the leadership of the police department; but wondering where that prosecutorial quote came from. Did you hear it yourself? Or, are you just relying on what a crime victim (or a third party) told you?
Delete3:13: It is necessary for people to understand that when you hear from the police chief or a district commander that these leaders serve at the discretion of elected officials, and can be removed if they do not adhere to the political narrative established by those officials, should they so choose. This is why their public statements will sometimes contradict what a rank and file officer might tell you on a given topic. This does not mean political appointees are any less qualified or professional than other members of the force, but simply that the public should be aware of this when official statements are made by them. It's similar to the difference between a journalist serving as a press secretary for an elected official vs, a journalist working for a TV station or newspaper. The quote was relayed to me by a crime victim. I did not hear it myself.
Delete"A journalist serving as a press secretary for an elected official" is not a journalist, at least not while in that role.
DeleteBut a leader of the police department is still a sworn law enforcement officer.
4:23: Correct. The removal process from a political appointment is separate from that of a sworn officer from the force, however. You have to know the conflicts of interest a speaker may have to fully evaluate their statements. If a particular fact is politically incorrect, you're not going to hear it from a political appointee whose patron is in denial of that fact.
Delete2:32 referring to the 9:22 comment, this is the kind of leadership that is dooming MC/MD and virtually all blue cities. The local D voters do so because they were taught suicidal empathy and their goal is that their house gets burned down last. This area has the dumbest smart people.
DeleteDon't expect McGruff to take a bite out of crime.
Delete@Robert: No wonder he is running unopposed for a SIXTH Term!
ReplyDeleteVoting has consequences .. keep voting for democrats who prioritize illegals and the DC thugs and let them all go after they terrorize tax paying Americans When did democrats go absolutely Frigging insane .. I grew up as a Democrat who believed in their policy towards the working middle class They are the party of elites who live behind mansion walls and the brainwashed 20 year old by radical professors at college
ReplyDeleteOk grandpa, let's get you to bed.
Delete8:36 just bloviates because there is no argument except when defending Walz.
Delete@9:39 hush, grandma, it's past your bedtime.
Delete@1:01 Projection from a simp who has no argument.
Delete@2:03 I don't know about a simp, 1:01 is more like a nepo-baby.
DeleteAnd don’t forget the welfare recipients, convicted criminals and anti-Semites
ReplyDeleteYou are in the wrong parking lot!
Delete