CATONSVILLE, Md. — Baltimore County leaders joined community members Friday afternoon for a solidarity walk along Frederick Road in Catonsville, days after burglars targeted seven businesses in the iconic downtown area.
The community walk aimed to show support for affected businesses and demonstrate unity following the early Sunday morning break-ins that hit establishments including Franco's, El Guapo, Painted Whims, and others.
"This is about making sure, recognizing it's easy to fix broken windows, but it's harder to mend a sense of security," Councilman Pat Young said to the crowd on Friday afternoon.
Baltimore County leaders meet with Frederick Road businesses in Catonsville
The walk began at the Mellor Avenue intersection and included visits to shops targeted by the burglars. Community members, including local business owners, joined county officials in the show of support.
Craig Kahl, who grew up in Catonsville and owns a business near the affected shops, participated in the walk to show solidarity.
"Having a community like this is absolutely fantastic, great place to raise a family. Shocking what happened, does not happen often. It's been a long time since we had something like this. But I think everybody needs to know that we're all still here for everyone," Kahl said.
Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department emphasized the area's significance during the walk.
"This truly is not only a county jewel, this has historically been a national jewel," McCullough told reporters.
Police continue searching for suspects connected to the burglaries. At last report, investigators were looking for a silver Honda Civic with stolen Baltimore City plates in connection with the case.
"We are aggressively working on this case, we have all our resources on this case. We have developed some evidence and we are working every lead in this investigation. Our detectives, our patrol officers, our crime lab," McCullough said.
Richard Snader, a member of the Catonsville Fourth of July Committee, attended the walk and praised the community's response.
"I'm very happy Catonsville is trying to rally around, the community is trying to rally around these businesses. Catonsville has always been a fairly tight knit community, a community that likes to do things together," Snader said.
The Frederick Road corridor prides itself on being walkable, and Friday's gathering demonstrated the close-knit nature of the Catonsville community.
"I believe we all need to let everybody know how important the community is to us, how important the businesses are," Kahl added.
Baltimore County Police are investigating whether these burglaries are connected to others in the county. Extra patrols remain active in the area as the investigation continues.
Community members have shown ongoing support for the affected businesses throughout the week, with residents going out of their way to shop at the targeted establishments and checking in with business owners.
READ MORE: Catonsville uplifts businesses after burglars target storefronts
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