Stop the Maryland Unsafe Driver

Posts Tagged ‘traffic charges’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 2011

(PERRYVILLE, MD) – Two Virginia men are under arrest this morning facing multiple felony drug charges after they were captured by troopers on I-95 yesterday following a pursuit and the recovery of suspected heroin.

The suspects are identified as Nikike R. Tyler, 31, and Melvin R. Jones, 32, both of Richmond, Va. Both are charged with importation of heroin into the state, unlawful possession of a large amount of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, and possession of heroin. In addition, Tyler is charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, hindering an investigation, resisting arrest and multiple traffic charges including fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, negligent driving, and speeding.

Shortly after 2:00 p.m. yesterday, a trooper on a special traffic enforcement team from the JFK Highway Barrack stopped a 1997 Ford pickup on southbound I-95 south of Perryville for an equipment violation. The trooper made contact with the two occupants of the vehicle, later identified as Tyler and Jones. The trooper detected the smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle and made a number of other observations that indicated criminal activity, just as another trooper stopped at the scene.

Jones, who had been driving the truck, was out of the vehicle and yelled to Tyler. Tyler jumped into the driver’s seat of the truck and fled the scene. One trooper took Jones into custody while the other pursued Tyler in the pickup.

The suspect headed south on I-95 and exited onto northbound Rt. 543. He turned right onto Rt. 136, then headed east on Rt. 22. Harford County Sheriff’s Office deputies deployed the first set of stop sticks and a trooper from the Bel Air Barrack deployed a second set just before the exit to southbound I-95.

With one of the truck tires disintegrated, Tyler continued south on I-95 until he exited at the Maryland House rest area. At that time, troopers initiated a rolling roadblock and were able to force the suspect vehicle to stop, at which time Tyler was arrested. No troopers or deputies were injured and no police cars were damaged.

During the pursuit, troopers saw Tyler moving around in the truck before eventually throwing something out the window. Troopers recovered the item and found it to be a kilo-sized heat sealed plastic bag with suspected heroin inside. Apparently, water had been poured on it in an attempt to destroy it. The bag contained almost 49 grams of heroin, more than four times the amount needed for the felony charge of importation of heroin. More than nine grams of heroin were found on Jones when he was searched. Troopers also found more than ten grams of marijuana in the truck.

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(Editor’s note: Pursuits are necessary but dangerous. Police are taught, and even practice the walk up interview on a traffic stop to eliminate or reduce dangerous behaviors on the part of suspects. News media outlets should ask some questions about this traffic stop because something seems very odd. That being that the passenger was able to drive away and then place citizens and the officers at risk.

We don’t want to second guess our officers and we congratulate the officers on an eventually successful arrest, but we want to know if our officers did everything they should have done to prevent unnecessary risk.

How was it that the car keys were still in the ignition or that a driver was removed from the vehicle before cover officer arrived? Was the engine still running? Why didn’t the first suspect, the driver, remove the keys and secure them in his pocket? Was a cover officer called for while the officer was standing within earshot of the suspect? How did the suspect become suspicious of the officer’s intentions to search or arrest so that the suspect alerted the passenger? Were the suspects alerted because they knew the officer would smell the marijuana smoke? Why wasn’t the passenger secured before the intention to search or arrest was communicated?

Were there any department policy violations or deviations from policy that gave the second suspect the ability to drive away?”

(OVERLEA, MD) – What was initially thought to be a single vehicle crash on the Baltimore beltway turned into multiple counts of attempted second degree murder filed against a Baltimore County man who was allegedly trying to strangle the woman he was with in the backseat of the car they were traveling in early yesterday.

The accused is identified as Augustus Jung-Kai Gray, 25, of Parkville, Md. He is charged with three counts of attempted second degree murder, five counts of first degree assault, five counts of second degree assault, two counts of malicious destruction of property, motor vehicle theft, theft, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, DUI, and other traffic charges. As of late yesterday, Gray was being held in the Baltimore County Detention Center on $500,000 bail.

Shortly after 2:00 a.m. yesterday, Maryland state troopers from the Golden Ring Barrack responded to what had been reported as a single-vehicle collision on the outer loop of I-695 prior to I-95. Troopers found two men and two women, outside a 2002 Ford Explorer. One of the men, later identified as Gray, was being restrained by the owner of the vehicle, a man identified as Francis Thomas.

Thomas told troopers he and girlfriend were in the front seat of his truck and they were driving Gray and his girlfriend home after leaving a party in Baltimore County. Thomas said Gray began strangling his 23-year-old girlfriend in the back seat. Thomas said he told Gray to stop and he complied, but soon began choking her again and opened the passenger door while attempting to push her out of the moving vehicle. Thomas said he pulled to the shoulder of the interstate and all four of them exited the truck.

According to Thomas, Gray then said he was going to kill them all and jumped into the driver’s seat of the truck. Thomas was able to get into the rear seat and attempted to stop Gray. The suspect then apparently drove the truck across the beltway and struck the median barrier. He then backed the vehicle across the interstate towards the two women standing on the shoulder. They were able to get out of the way before the truck crashed into the barrier on the right shoulder. Thomas then drove back across the highway and struck the median barrier before the truck became disabled. Thomas said he was able to pull Gray from the truck and hold him until troopers arrived.

Troopers said Gray appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and also had other injuries to his face and head not consistent with the crash he had just been in. Further investigation revealed he had been involved in several altercations earlier in the evening.

Troopers had Gray transported to the hospital for an examination. He was treated and released about 5:00 p.m. yesterday. The other three individuals had minor injuries, but refused any treatment.

The investigation is continuing.

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