Car dragged officer during downtown Baltimore citation stop, police say

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A routine parking citation escalated into a police-involved shooting Saturday night in downtown Baltimore, leaving a 29-year-old man critically injured and an officer hospitalized.

Baltimore Police said the encounter began around 9:35 p.m. on North Eutaw Street, just blocks from Lexington Market.

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According to police, an officer was citing a vehicle with suspended and expired tags when a 29-year-old man approached. Police said the man initially denied owning the vehicle before admitting it belonged to him.

The officer allowed the man inside the vehicle to retrieve his belongings while another officer was heading to the scene to block the vehicle in, according to police.

Police said the man instead put the car in motion and began moving back and forth as the officer repeatedly told him to stop.

“As the officer told him to stop, he continued to drive. He backed up and then went forward again, dragging the officer a short distance, at which point the officer fired at least three rounds into the vehicle, striking the driver,” Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said.

The suspect escalated the situation and decided to try to use deadly force against the police officer, and the police were forced to respond,” National Police Association spokesperson Sergeant Betsy Smith said.

Police said another challenge developed as a crowd quickly gathered around the scene.

“The numerous officers who got to the scene to assist had to direct all their attention to holding the crowd back from getting to the vehicle,” Commissioner Worley said.

Smith said the crowd response also complicated the situation for officers.

“The fact that this crowd did what they did is why the Baltimore Police Department cannot hire enough people who want to work for them,” Smith said.

The 29-year-old man was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The officer was also hospitalized with neck and back injuries.

Now, the investigation continues into how a parking citation turned into an injured officer and a man critically wounded in the heart of downtown.