BALTIMORE, MD (December 31, 2022) – The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Office of the Attorney General is investigating a fatal crash following an attempted traffic stop and police pursuit in Cecil County.
At approximately 12:10 p.m. on December 31, the Maryland State Police (MSP) received multiple 911 reports of a vehicle driving erratically along Interstate 95. An MSP trooper attempted to pull over a vehicle matching the description provided in calls to 911. The driver failed to stop, and the trooper pursued the vehicle northbound for about 9 miles. At about mile marker 108, the driver lost control of the car on an exit ramp and crashed into a tree. The driver, the sole occupant of the vehicle, was pronounced dead on the scene. No other cars were involved in the crash.
The IID is investigating this incident with assistance from the Maryland State Police Crash Team. MSP has issued a protocol for cases that involve MSP personnel. Under those protocols, as soon as practicable after MSP’s initial response, MSP will make every reasonable effort to staff the investigation with MSP personnel who are assigned to a different region of the State. MSP will also conduct a comprehensive inquiry to determine whether any MSP personnel involved in the investigation has a conflict of interest.
IID is investigating the circumstances leading up to the crash. Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact the IID at (410) 576-7070 or by email at IID@oag.state.md.us.
The IID will generally release the name of the involved officers within 48 hours of the incident, though that period may be extended if an officer is injured, or if there is a specific reason to believe that an officer’s safety is at risk.
The trooper’s dashboard camera and microphone were activated during the incident. The IID will generally release body camera footage or dashboard camera footage within 14 days of an incident. There may be situations where more than 14 days is necessary, including if investigators need more time to complete witness interviews, if there are technical delays caused by the need to redact the identities of civilian witnesses, or to allow family members to view the video before it is released to the public.
At approximately 12:10 p.m. on December 31, the Maryland State Police (MSP) received multiple 911 reports of a vehicle driving erratically along Interstate 95. An MSP trooper attempted to pull over a vehicle matching the description provided in calls to 911. The driver failed to stop, and the trooper pursued the vehicle northbound for about 9 miles. At about mile marker 108, the driver lost control of the car on an exit ramp and crashed into a tree. The driver, the sole occupant of the vehicle, was pronounced dead on the scene. No other cars were involved in the crash.
The IID is investigating this incident with assistance from the Maryland State Police Crash Team. MSP has issued a protocol for cases that involve MSP personnel. Under those protocols, as soon as practicable after MSP’s initial response, MSP will make every reasonable effort to staff the investigation with MSP personnel who are assigned to a different region of the State. MSP will also conduct a comprehensive inquiry to determine whether any MSP personnel involved in the investigation has a conflict of interest.
IID is investigating the circumstances leading up to the crash. Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact the IID at (410) 576-7070 or by email at IID@oag.state.md.us.
The IID will generally release the name of the involved officers within 48 hours of the incident, though that period may be extended if an officer is injured, or if there is a specific reason to believe that an officer’s safety is at risk.
The trooper’s dashboard camera and microphone were activated during the incident. The IID will generally release body camera footage or dashboard camera footage within 14 days of an incident. There may be situations where more than 14 days is necessary, including if investigators need more time to complete witness interviews, if there are technical delays caused by the need to redact the identities of civilian witnesses, or to allow family members to view the video before it is released to the public.
