Police: Two men charged with attempted murder of Prince George’s County officer
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — Two suspects were charged with the attempted murder of a police officer following an officer-involved shooting in Prince George’s County on Sunday.
At about 1:50 a.m., two patrol officers stopped to investigate a possible burglary at a gas station in the 7600 block of Crain Highway. A burgundy van was backed into the front door of the business – a van had been used in another burglary an hour earlier, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGCPD).
The officers turned on their emergency lights and got out of their cruisers when two suspects ran from the store and into the van.
One of the officers tried to remove the driver from his seat, telling him to stop. Instead, police say the suspect placed the van into drive and began to flee – with the officer still at the driver’s door area.
2 people seriously injured after crash in Southwest DC
The second patrol officer shot once, striking the driver. Instead of stopping, however, he continued to flee from the parking lot, sped across the four lanes of Crain Highway and onto South Osborne Rd. All the while, the van continued to drag the officer.
The officer eventually fell from the van on South Osborne Rd.
A pursuit of the van lasted over half an hour and ended when the van became “disabled” at Branch Ave. and Bonita St. in Temple Hills, according to police.
The suspects were both taken into custody and the driver, who’d been shot, was transported for treatment. He was released from the hospital later in the day.
The suspects were identified as 51-year-old Dennis Burkett of Brandywine and 50-year-old Robert Burkett Jr. of Temple Hills. Police said that Dennis was the one driving the van.
The injured officer was also transported for treatment of minor injuries and has since been released.
A search of the gas station revealed a pry bar and other tools were left by the suspects and the store’s ATM was tampered with. Police are still looking into whether the two were linked to other burglaries in the county as their methodologies match more than a dozen cases.
After the arrest, Robert Burkett admitted to the burglary at the gas station, fleeing from police and stealing the van from a Clinton church late Saturday night.
Both men have been charged with multiple offenses, including second-degree attempted murder, assault, breaking and entering, auto theft and additional charges. They are in custody without bond.
Internal Affairs is investigating the officer who discharged his weapon. As is standard procedure, he’s now on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. That officer joined the agency in 2022 and is assigned to the Bureau of Patrol, PGCPD said in a press release about the incident.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police at (301) 516-2512.
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