Man charged in connection with armed robbery at Bethesda mall, assault of officers
Incident occurred Saturday night in Westfield Montgomery parking garage, police say
By
Elia GriffinApril 27, 2026 5:57 p.m.
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Contribute TodayA 34-year-old man is facing armed robbery and assault charges after he allegedly robbed two people at knifepoint in the parking garage at Bethesda’s Westfield Montgomery mall Saturday evening and also assaulted officers involved in his arrest and damaged a police cruiser, Montgomery County police said Monday in a news release.
Kilbert Rosales, of no fixed address, also allegedly assaulted county correctional officers processing his admission to the county jail in Rockville following his arrest after the incident at the mall at 7101 Democracy Boulevard, according to the release.
On Monday, Montgomery County District Court Judge Rand Lewis Gelber ordered Rosales to be held without bond and to undergo a mental health competency evaluation, according to online court records.
Rosales is being represented by a public defender. The Maryland Office of the Public Defender did not immediately respond to Bethesda Today’s request for comment Monday afternoon.
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According to police, mall security staff alerted an off-duty county police officer shortly after 6 p.m. about an armed robbery that had just occurred in the parking garage, police said in the release. The release did not say where mall security staff found the off-duty officer.
Responding officers learned that a man and woman were inside a parked vehicle in the garage outside of the Nordstrom store when a man, later allegedly identified as Rosales, opened the driver’s side door and threatened them with a knife.
Rosales allegedly stole cash and property from the pair before leaving the scene, police said. Police did not say how much money was taken from the victims or what type of property.
The man who had been robbed later saw Rosales nearby and walking toward the Montgomery Mall Transit Center, police said. Officers attempted to stop Rosales, but he continued walking, according to the release.
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After a “brief exchange,” Rosales was taken into custody and searched. He allegedly was found to be carrying a red box cutter that the two robbery victims identified as the weapon used in the robbery, police said.
Before he was placed in a police cruiser, Rosales allegedly resisted arrest and assaulted the responding officers, according to the release. He also repeatedly struck his head against a rear window of the cruiser, cutting his face and causing the glass to shatter.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service crews were called to the scene to treat Rosales’ wound, but he refused treatment, police said. Rosales was later transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit in Rockville.
At the processing unit, Rosales also allegedly assaulted correctional officers, police said.
According to online court records, Rosales was charged with two counts of armed robbery, which is a felony; theft from $100 to under $1,500; theft of less than $100; disorderly conduct; resisting arrest; six counts of second-degree assault; malicious destruction of property valued at less than $1,000; obstructing and hindering; and providing a false statement to officers.
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Rosales is expected to return to court May 4 for another bail/bond review during which his competency to stand trial is expected to be discussed, court records indicate.
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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine