Police Car

A 20-year-old Westminster man intent on committing "suicide by cop" crashed his parents' sport utility vehicle Tuesday night, killing an elderly Reisterstown woman, Baltimore County police said. Police said Nicholas Mottley led officers on a chase through Baltimore County, where he rammed a police car, was involved in another small crash, then sped off and ultimately struck a car driven by Martha Tabares, 74. Tabares was killed instantly when the Chevrolet Traverse Mottley was driving struck her Toyota Corolla nearly head-on at 8:22 p.m., said Cpl. John Wachter, a police spokesman.

An off-duty police officer who died following a car crash in Pasadena on Saturday morning had shot himself first, according to the Anne Arundel County Police Department. Bladensburg Police Officer Brian Johnson, 38, was driving a marked police car on eastbound Route 100 near Catherine Avenue at 9 a.m. on Saturday when it veered across the median and struck an oncoming vehicle, police said. Johnson was pronounced dead at Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie. Police said the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the cause of Johnson's death was a gunshot wound to his upper body.

A Columbia woman was hospitalized Thursday after her vehicle and an unmarked police car crashed outside police headquarters in Ellicott City, Howard County police said. Ashley Harrington, 24, was driving a 2003 Chevy Malibu north on Court House Drive about 1 p.m., and Detective Kimberly Solter was making a left turn from Brightwell Drive onto Court House Drive, police said. Solter, in an unmarked 2003 Chevy Impala, was not responding to a call, and did not have lights or sirens activated, police said.

A Baltimore City police cruiser crashed into another vehicle Friday evening at 235 E. 25th St., injuring both the officer and the driver of the other vehicle, police said. The officer was responding to a call at 6:13 p.m. when the police car collided with the other vehicle. Both drivers were sent to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Police did not identify the officer or the other driver.

A toddler struck by an unmarked police vehicle on the eastern edge of the Patterson Park neighborhood Thursday afternoon has been treated for minor injuries at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, police said. The 2-year-old boy had stepped off the sidewalk at the intersection of Leverton and South Highland avenues around 3 p.m., police said. The officer, who was turning onto Highland Avenue from the 3400 block of Leverton Ave., spotted the child out of the corner of her eye and immediately braked, police said.

An Anne Arundel County police officer shot and wounded a driver after the officer attempted to complete a traffic stop in Crofton on Saturday night, a spokesman said. The officer attempted the traffic stop at about 7:30 p.m. near Crain and Defense highways, said department spokesman Lt. Michael Brothers. When the driver failed to stop, a pursuit ensued. At some point, the officer's vehicle was rear-ended by the other driver's vehicle, Brothers said. He said the officer opened fire, injuring the suspect, who was taken to an area hospital.

An Anne Arundel County police officer shot and wounded the driver of a van Saturday evening in Prince George's County after the van rammed the officer's car following a brief chase, county police said. The officer, who was not identified, had pursued the van south from Crofton on MD Route 3 about 6:40 p.m. in an attempt to stop it for a registration violation. The officer broke off the chase after crossing into Prince George's County and was preparing to return to Anne Arundel County when the van struck the marked police vehicle at the intersection of Route 3 and MD Route 450, police said.

A Baltimore City police car was severely damaged in a Saturday morning collision at the intersection of Guilford Avenue and Centre Street in Mount Vernon. An officer suffered non-life threatening injuries, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. The officer, who has not been identified, was traveling to an emergency call Saturday morning. At around 5:40 a.m., he was struck by a civilian in a sports utility vehicle traveling eastbound on Centre Street, Guglielmi said. The officer's car spun out from the impact and collided with a street pole, which left it facing the opposite direction on Guilford.

Two adult drivers, including a Baltimore City police officer, were transported to the hospital Sunday afternoon following a two-car accident in the 800 block of Walker Avenue, near The Alameda. According to witnesses, the city police car and a burgundy sedan collided on Walker Avenue, and the police car knocked down part of a wooden fence. The sedan was driven by a woman, according to one witness. Neither driver appeared to be suffering life-threatening injuries, and the officer was seen walking around after the accident, according to a witness.

Say what you will about the controversies the Baltimore Police Department has found itself embroiled in over the years, but we can say definitely that they're not involved in the Trayvon Martin case. That's the Sanford Police Department, outside Orlando, Fla. battling a national firestorm of criticism over its handling of the fatal shooting of the unarmed teen by a neighborhood watch captain.  But in a segment on Comedy Central's Daily Show last night, an image of a city police car somehow found its way into the background of a graphic that read "SANFORD POLICE.

A Laurel teenager is being charged as an adult with first-degree assault in the shooting of a police vehicle with a BB gun while it was being driven by an officer, Prince George's County Police said Saturday. Andre Christopher Rivers, 16, of the 13500 block of Attleboro Court, was arrested Friday evening after an officer driving along Contee Road "heard a projectile strike his driver's side door" about 6 p.m. and immediately called for backup, police said in a statement. "The patrol officer believed he was being fired on and immediately requested a search of the area," the statement said.

When Brenda Brown stood before a judge, she figured she had only one real option: plead guilty. She had been caught with three bags of marijuana in her pocket in Northwest Baltimore. She didn't know that Kendell Richburg, the arresting officer, had lied about having seen her buy the drugs, potentially violating her constitutional right against unreasonable search and seizure. Now, her case is among hundreds under review by prosecutors in light of Richburg's conduct. Brown, 52, is serving a sentence that includes a year of probation, court costs, counseling, drug testing and another possession count on a lengthy rap sheet.

A 20-year-old Westminster man intent on committing "suicide by cop" crashed his parents' sport utility vehicle Tuesday night, killing an elderly Reisterstown woman, Baltimore County police said. Police said Nicholas Mottley led officers on a chase through Baltimore County, where he rammed a police car, was involved in another small crash, then sped off and ultimately struck a car driven by Martha Tabares, 74. Tabares was killed instantly when the Chevrolet Traverse Mottley was driving struck her Toyota Corolla nearly head-on at 8:22 p.m., said Cpl. John Wachter, a police spokesman.

Two Baltimore police cruisers were involved in an accident Saturday afternoon on the southbound Jones Falls Expressway near Guilford Avenue, police say. "There are no serious injuries to any of the officers," said police spokeswoman Det. Angela Carter-Watson. "One officer is going to be treated at the hospital for chest pain. " The accident occurred at 2:20, causing a traffic backup. Carter-Watson had no other details on the accident, including what may have caused it. Investigators were still on the scene at 4 p.m. scalvert@baltsun.com Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

A suspect in a drug investigation led police on a car chase Monday night from Baltimore City, into Baltimore County and back into the city, ending in the arrest of the driver. City police say detectives tried to stop the burgundy sport utility vehicle in the 500 block of Alluvion Street about 9:30 p.m. The driver did not stop and fled into Baltimore County, at which point county police and Maryland State Police also got involved to try to stop the car. The SUV ultimately came back into the city and police were able to stop the driver on northbound Interstate 83 before the Ruxton Road exit.

It soon became obvious last weekend at the Westminster Senior Center that there are certainly different approaches to wrapping presents. Westminster Police Chief Jeffrey Spaulding had a no nonsense approach, cutting fast and flipping a box quickly. Detective John Emminizer was more meticulous, helping his 7-year-old companion, Caleb, even the sides and wrap tight. "I do all the gift wrapping at home," Emminizer said with pride. "I'm a perfectionist when it comes to wrapping.

A 6-year-old girl was struck by a police car in West Baltimore Tuesday night, a spokesman said. She suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital as a precaution, said Detective Kevin Brown, a city police spokesman. She was treated and released the same day, he said. The 6-year-old was struck in the 1400 block of W. Saratoga St. about 2 p.m., Brown said, but he could not say Tuesday night if the car was responding to a call. The incident remains under investigation.

A Laurel teenager is being charged as an adult with first-degree assault in the shooting of a police vehicle with a BB gun while it was being driven by an officer, Prince George's County Police said Saturday. Andre Christopher Rivers, 16, of the 13500 block of Attleboro Court, was arrested Friday evening after an officer driving along Contee Road "heard a projectile strike his driver's side door" about 6 p.m. and immediately called for backup, police said in a statement. "The patrol officer believed he was being fired on and immediately requested a search of the area," the statement said.

Police in Baltimore County have charged a teenager with attempted second degree murder after he allegedly rammed a stolen minivan into a police car and attempted to run over an officer early Saturday. Antonio Rashad Green, 16, was driving a 2003 white Dodge Caravan on Bristol and Stoneleigh Roads in Towson at about 1:27 a.m. when an officer stopped him, police said. Before the officer could get out of the car, the minivan reversed and banged into the front of the police car before speeding off, according to a police statement.

Baltimore County Police say an officer was injured early Saturday morning - and a 16-year-old is being being charged as an adult with attempted murder - following a pursuit in the Towson area involving a stolen minivan. Police say on Dec. 1 at about 1:27 a.m., an officer spotted a 2003 white Dodge Caravan on Bristol Road near Stoneleigh Road without its headlights on, and stopped the vehicle. After stopping, the driver in the minivan reversed and rammed into the front of the police car while the officer was still inside, then drove off toward Stoneleigh Road, according to police reports.