A 16-year-old boy, Dawnta Harris, has been charged with first-degree murder after the slaying of a Baltimore County, Maryland, police officer, and three other suspects have been brought into custody.
The Baltimore County Police and Fire Department tweeted that the 16-year-old was arrested shortly after the female officer was fatally injured Monday. The police tweet did not explain the delay in announcing the teen’s apprehension.
Police confirm 16yr old male was arrested yesterday shortly after death of #BCoPD officer. Suspect awaiting bail hearing. Name and charges will be released after hearing. More details to follow throughout the day. Three suspects continue to be sought.^SV
— Baltimore County Police Department (@BaltCoPolice) May 22, 2018
Baltimore County Police Cpl. Shawn Vinson said Monday evening that the enormous manhunt was continuing unabated in the suburban community of Perry Hall, Maryland, where witnesses reported hearing a pop before seeing a Jeep run over the officer Monday afternoon.
The officer, who wasn’t immediately identified, was bleeding badly from significant injuries and was pronounced dead after being rushed to a hospital. Vinson said investigators have recovered the suspects’ abandoned Jeep, but police declined to confirm whether it was used to injure the officer.
Relatives of the officer, who would have been on the force four years by July, have been notified.
Tony Kurek told The Associated Press his adult son was outside in the family’s yard Monday afternoon in the northeast Baltimore County community when the son saw the officer with her gun drawn, confronting the occupants of a Jeep.
“The next thing he heard was a pop, and he saw the Jeep take off and run right over her,” said Kurek. The car left skid marks behind, he said, leaving the officer down and bleeding.
Logan Kurek, who is a volunteer firefighter, said he heard his younger brother “frantically screaming” and ran outside to perform CPR.
Vinson said the officer went to investigate a call about a suspicious vehicle when she encountered at least one suspect and was “critically injured.” He added that the confrontation may have stemmed from a burglary in progress, noting one home on the block had damage to a patio door.
“What exactly happened, we are not sure yet until an autopsy is performed,” Vinson said at a news conference Monday. He said he had no information about whether she had fired her own weapon.
He added that a homicide investigation has been opened. Officers were searching for suspects “who we believe are armed and dangerous,” Police Chief Terrence Sheridan said.
Events began unfolding Monday afternoon in the leafy neighborhood of single-family homes. It was then that Kurek’s neighbor, Dahle Amendt, said he had just settled into his recliner for a rest when he heard a woman’s voice outside his house.
“I heard, ‘Get out of the car!’ ‘Get out of the car!’ Get out of the car!′ at least three times, and then a pop,” Amendt said.
Amendt said his wife also ran outside and tried to revive the officer.
“This is a shock. It’s a quiet community. It’s just so sad,” Amendt said.
Investigators urged residents in a sizable swath of Perry Hall to stay hunkered down inside their homes and lock all doors and windows as officers search the community fringed with woodlands. Three elementary schools were kept on alert status for hours, with students and teachers told to stay in their school buildings as police continued a search for the suspects. By Monday evening, parents were allowed to come to the schools to pick up their youngsters.
School officials tweeted overnight that all Baltimore County public schools would open on time Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.