Baltimore sees 25% spike in robberies at the start of the year, reversing previous declines

Preparing for a trip to the bank, Marlon Mayorga, the owner of a small convenience store on Patapsco Avenue in South Baltimore, counted cash in the otherwise empty business early one morning. As he counted, a person in a hoodie and with their face covered entered the front door, turned toward the counter, pulled out a gun and demanded the cash. The robbery last month at La Bodeguita in Brooklyn is among 714 robberies recorded in the city so far this year. That’s a 24.6% increase, from 573 at the same time last year, according to latest available data from the Baltimore Police Department.