Howard County Police have charged a 19-year-old man with stealing designer shoes off the feet of two female shoppers outside The Mall in Columbia.

A woman told officers that her two daughters had just emerged from Nordstrom and were nearing their vehicle at approximately 5:18 p.m. Sunday when they were approached by a man, police wrote in an incident report. Police said the man allegedly kicked a car door several times and “began to threaten the daughters,” telling them, “Take off your shoes, I don’t want to hurt you.”

During the encounter, the man kept one hand in his pocket, leaving the women unsure if he had a weapon. Police said the robber was wearing a ski mask and all black clothing and carrying a skateboard.

The women removed a pair of mint green Prada shoes and a pair of silver Bottega Veneta shoes and handed them to the man. The shoes cost a total of about $2,000, police said. The robber fled in the direction of Macy’s.

As police reviewed Nordstrom’s security footage, they were alerted that a fight had broken out in the mall’s food court and a man matching the suspect’s description was involved. Police apprehended the suspect at approximately 6:39 p.m.

The man admitted stealing the shoes, police said in the report.

The suspect, who lives in Columbia’s Merriweather District, was charged with robbery, second-degree assault and theft of $1,500 to under $25,000.

He was being held without bond Friday. A preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 2 in Howard County District Court.

According to Howard Police, reports of crime in and around the mall have dropped since the county’s rollout of enhanced safety and security strategies this year — including an increase in marked patrol cars, uniformed officers and undercover details. The county also based a permanent patrol unit in downtown Columbia and is building a satellite station inside the mall.

“Since then reports have dropped in categories like robbery and shoplifting, among others,” Sherry Llewellyn, a police spokesperson, said in a statement.

The moves came in response to a series of shootings, including the fatal shooting of a teen near the food court in July 2024 and a double shooting near the mall in February that left two teenagers dead.

Although final year-end numbers aren’t available, Llewellyn said, “crime in general around the mall has been trending down when compared to 2024.”