Cal Ripken’s mother confronted by carjacker in Maryland bank parking lot

(AP) Vi Ripken, mother of baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken and former infielder Billy Ripken, was reportedly involved in another heart-stopping incident on Tuesday. According to the Associated Press, a gunman approached Ripken as she sat in the parking lot of an Aberdeen, Maryland bank during the afternoon hours and demanded she abandon her car.

The report states that Ripken was able to activate the panic alarm in her vehicle, which prompted the gunman to flee the scene immediately. She was unharmed in the incident, and once it was safe to exit her car she went into the bank to alert the proper authorities. A suspect was taken into custody soon after, so it appears Ripken's quick thinking not only saved herself from potential harm, but others as well.

Incredibly, the incident comes just 15 months after Ripken was abducted at gunpoint from her home in Aberdeen and held hostage for 24 hours. The gunman in that incident blindfolded Ripken and drove her around in her car before releasing her unharmed. No arrest has been made, but Cal Ripken is offering a $100K reward for information that helps bring the kidnapper to justice.

When you put the two incidents together, it's impossible not to wonder if there's a connection. The police addressed that possibility on Tuesday night.

From the Baltimore Sun:

"There is no indication he had any involvement in last year's case. And there's no indication he knew who she was," Budnick said. "Right now it appears to be a crime of opportunity rather than a targeted issue."

Detectives investigating the incident thought they were familiar with the suspect from descriptions and were able to put a name with the face and track him down, Budnick said. Around 5:45 p.m., the man suspected of confronting Ripken was apprehended while he was walking on Post Road in Aberdeen.

The man was taken to Aberdeen Police Department pending charges and transportation to the Harford County Detention Center. His name was not immediately available.

Related or not, it goes without saying that Vi Ripken has experienced more trauma than any one person should have to. Here's hoping she's able to bounce back once again and continue living her life as freely and normally as she was attempting to do on Tuesday.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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