'Call of Duty' video game helps Montgomery County police nab 7-Eleven armed robbery suspect

A video game is being credited with helping Montgomery County police catch a man accused of robbery and assault.

On May 19, the suspect stormed into a 7-Eleven store on Clopper Road in Germantown and got away with $500. He was wearing a hoodie, ski mask and armed with a handgun.

Surveillance video from inside the store shows the armed robber holding up the store clerk at gunpoint demanding both registers emptied.

"Then the suspect leaves and we get a pretty good shot of his face as he is leaving," said Montgomery County Police Officer Rick Goodale.

But the video also got a good shot of something else - the writing on the suspect's backpack. It reads, "Call of Duty: Black Ops." It is the latest version of the wildly popular first-person shooter video game.

Officer Goodale said this was the key.

"We are looking for anything that can help us identify the suspect," he said. "Any unique characteristics, any unique item such as clothing that we may be able to locate."

Thanks to help from the public, police were able to identify their suspect as 21-year-old Logan Stefon Lawson.

Police were able to link Lawson to the crime after a person with a keen eye and a keen interest in gaming recognized that the black "Call of Duty bag" was given out as a promotional gift from a local GameStop store.

"Detectives were able to contact that store and determine that our suspect had pre-ordered the 'Call of Duty' game and did receive a bag," said Goodale.

Lawson was arrested on May 25 at a Gaithersburg motel. He has been charged with armed robbery, first-degree assault and the use of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Lawsom is being without bond.