Gas Station Clerk Shot During Robbery Attempt

A woman shot a gas station attendant in Maryland during what authorities described as an exceptionally bold robbery attempt, leaving the scene without taking anything, according to police reports released on Friday.

Officers responded to a Shell gas station located on Cradle Rock Way in Columbia after receiving a report of a shooting around 7:43 p.m.

“Incidents like this are pretty rare. We’ve seen our fair share of gas station thefts, but typically, if a suspect brandishes a weapon, they come away with something,” a police spokesperson said.

The injured employee, an adult male, was transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center with critical injuries, police confirmed.

On Monday, police shared surveillance footage and announced a reward of up to $2,500 for any information related to the suspect.

By Tuesday, authorities identified 46-year-old Shantay Lachey O’Donnell from Virginia as the suspect in this case. She is currently in custody in another state on unrelated charges.

O’Donnell is expected to face multiple charges in Howard County in the near future, as per police statements.

“The woman entered the Shell store and, after walking around briefly, she approached the counter, drew her weapon, and fired,” Howard County Police Department Spokesman Seth Hoffman mentioned in an interview. “She instructed the clerk to open the cash register, but everything happened quite rapidly.”

Hoffman added that the incident, captured in just 20 seconds of surveillance footage, indicates that she didn’t actually steal any money from the register.

WBAL reported on their findings, explaining that police are treating the occurrence as an attempted robbery, though, notably, the woman left without taking anything.

“The clerk likely had enough time to comply, but it seems she just fired the gun and exited without any further action,” Hoffman noted.

This case is described as particularly audacious, with police emphasizing how unusual it is for a suspect to behave in this manner and not take anything afterward.