University Police arrested a Hyattsville man Thursday evening in connection with a string of recent burglaries in North Campus dorms.
Marques Avery Buford, 34, was arrested near LaPlata Hall. He was charged with first-degree burglary, theft of $1,000 to under $10,000, resisting arrest, second-degree assault and second-degree escape, according to Prince George’s County court records.
University Police spokesman Paul Dillon said Buford had been stealing laptops and other electronic items from unlocked rooms in different dorms on North Campus. Dillon was unsure of the amount of property that was stolen, but said it had a combined value of several thousand dollars.
Buford, who is unaffiliated with the university, resisted arrest and fought police officers, Dillon said. It took four officers to arrest Buford, and all of the officers involved were injured.
Dillon said Buford bit one officer during his arrest. Another officer suffered a bruised hip, and the other two received cuts and bruises on their knees.
Officers were able to track down the man last week after conducting an operation in plain clothes and setting up a perimeter, Dillon said. He said the suspect was spotted by a student in one dorm, and though police responded quickly, he slipped away. The man was then spotted in another dorm. Police caught him with a stolen laptop.
Sophomore criminology major Ayelet Kravitz said she heard yelling coming from outside during the time of the arrest and ran to her window to see the police officers making the arrest.
“They got him in handcuffs and the cops were talking amongst themselves,” Kravitz said. “Then when he heard a siren, he tried to run away, but a cop that was standing behind him caught him and brought him down to the ground. One cop was holding his legs down and another cop was holding his hands down.”
Staff writer Darren Botelho contributed to this report. estelle at umdbk dot com
