Bel Air Man Charged In Carjacking

A Bel Air man is jailed pending trial after allegedly wrestling keys from a woman's grasp, injuring her, and driving away in her car.

Christopher Michael Montgomery, 36, of the 1800 block of Selvin Drive in Bel Air, was charged Tuesday with robbery, second-degree assault, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and theft between $10,000 and $100,000, online court records show.

His charges stem from an incident in the Bel Air area at the end of last week.

On Dec. 7 Montgomery allegedly snatched car keys out of a woman's hand, pushed past her and stole her car, Assistant State's Attorney Kemba Lydia-Moore said during a bail hearing Wednesday. The incident took place around 5:43 p.m. in the 1300 block of Scottsdale Drive, police call records show.

The woman, who sustained injuries during the robbery, later identified Montgomery as her attacker based on his photograph, Lydia-Moore said.

Montgomery also faces a series of traffic violations in connection with the Dec. 7 incident, court records show. He has failed to appear for court 11 times, has 10 prior convictions and is pending trial in another case, Lydia-Moore told the judge Wednesday.

District Court Judge Susan Hazlett ordered Montgomery be held without bail at the Harford County Detention Center in the carjacking case. She also set bail in a separate theft and assault case case at $200,000.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Jan 10, 2013 in Harford County District Court.