16-year-old carjacking suspect struck by Baltimore police officer in car during foot chase
BALTIMORE — A 16-year-old carjacking suspect was struck by a Baltimore police car this week during a foot chase, according to police video and a department statement.
Police said they were called just after 7 p.m. Monday to the 1800 block of Druid Hill Avenue in the Druid Heights neighborhood for an armed carjacking.
Police have not identified the officer who struck the teen, or released any body-worn camera footage from the incident. “An internal investigation has been initiated,” police spokeswoman Lindsey Eldridge said Friday. “We are looking into the officer’s (body-worn camera)” footage, she said.
The victim who was carjacked was a food delivery driver, police said, and told officers that a teen approached him and flashed a gun before driving away in the victim’s car.
Shortly after, police spotted the stolen car and attempted to stop it, but the driver fled.
As the teen evaded police, authorities said, the city police helicopter — Foxtrot — was in the air. Video of the chase was posted online by the department late Thursday.
Police said the driver ran several red lights and stop signs before bailing out of the car.
In the three-minute-long video, Foxtrot tracks a white Honda SUV from above. The car appears to be traveling quickly for about 2 1/2 minutes before the driver gets out of the car and starts running. The suspect briefly walks before sprinting when police vehicles catch up with him.
Police said there was a “short” foot pursuit before a police vehicle struck the teen. Authorities said “aid was immediately rendered” and a black, semi-automatic airsoft handgun was found in the teen’s pant leg.
The teen was transported to a local hospital and was determined to have minor injuries. The suspect was charged as an adult with armed carjacking and several other offenses, police said. Under a new law passed by the General Assembly last year, the suspect’s identity and related records are not made public until a hearing is conducted to determine whether the case should remain in adult court or be waived to juvenile court, where records are secret.
The Police Department’s public integrity bureau and special investigation response team are both reviewing the helicopter’s video for a use of force investigation, police said. An internal investigation is also being conducted, according to police.
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(Baltimore Sun reporter Jessica Anderson contributed to this story.)
