17-year-old charged with attempted murder after stolen car pursuit injures 3 officers

HARFORD COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — A 17-year-old boy is facing two counts of attempted murder and several other charges after police say he struck two law enforcement officers with a stolen vehicle before leading authorities on a pursuit through Harford County that ended with a crash in a Jarrettsville neighborhood.

An 18-year-old woman who police say was a passenger in the stolen vehicle was also arrested.

According to charging documents, the incident began around 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, near the Target in Bel Air and ended in the 1700 block of South Laura Court in Jarrettsville.

Court records say a senior deputy was conducting a patrol check near the Target when a license plate recognition system in his unmarked patrol vehicle alerted him to a possible stolen 2006 gray Chrysler Pacifica. Dispatch later confirmed the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Baltimore County.

The deputy followed the vehicle as it traveled along Marketplace Drive and Baltimore Pike before it entered the Raising Cane’s parking lot at 336 Baltimore Pike. The deputy, along with a Bel Air police officer, then attempted to conduct a traffic stop.

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Charging documents say that as the senior deputy approached the driver’s side, he saw a male in the driver’s seat through the driver’s side mirror.

Before the deputy was able to draw his firearm, investigators say the driver “immediately placed the Chrysler Pacifica into reverse” and began backing toward him.

The deputy gave the driver several commands to turn off the vehicle, but investigators say the driver continued reversing at a high rate of speed and struck the deputy’s right leg, causing it to torque into an abnormal position. The vehicle then struck the deputy’s patrol vehicle.

Police say the driver then shifted into drive and accelerated forward, hitting another parked vehicle and the front driver’s side of a marked Bel Air police cruiser.

According to the charging documents, the driver then directed the vehicle toward Bel Air Police Officer Greene, striking the officer. Greene was taken to Bayview Medical Center with injuries described as non-life-threatening.

The driver then allegedly sped through the Raising Cane’s drive-thru lane, which charging documents say created an immediate danger to officers, employees, customers and others in the area.

The vehicle initially got away from responding deputies, but around 2:16 p.m., a deputy chief spotted the Chrysler Pacifica near Plumtree Road and Veterans Memorial Highway, or Route 24.

Police say the driver fled again, traveling north on Route 24 and running a red light at West Ring Factory Road.

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The pursuit continued through several roads in the Bel Air area. Charging documents say the teen made a left turn onto West MacPhail Road against a red light, later drove the wrong way around a traffic circle and failed to stop at another red light at Tollgate and Bel Air roads.

The pursuit eventually reached Jarrettsville, where police say the driver turned into the Centennial Oaks neighborhood and crashed into an embankment at a home in the 1700 block of South Laura Court, causing approximately $500 in damage to the front yard.

According to court records, the teen continued driving through the backyard before crashing into the tree line, abandoning the vehicle and running from officers. He was eventually taken into custody.

A third law enforcement officer, suffered a minor injury while attempting to follow the suspect’s vehicle through the backyard in his marked police cruiser.

Two neighbors who asked not to be identified spoke with FOX45 Wednesday about the pursuit ending in their normally quiet neighborhood.

“It’s crazy because this neighborhood is really quiet and calm,” one neighbor said.

Another neighbor said she believes the timing of the crash may have prevented someone else from being injured.

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“I think someone was watching over us,” she said.

She said it was unusual that no one was outside at the time because people are typically walking their dogs and children frequently play near where the crash happened.

This neighbor asked FOX45 to conceal her identity because she was concerned the 17-year-old could already be home, saying, “I don’t want any trouble. I know how the juvenile system works.”

Bel Air police said they are not releasing the 17-year-old’s name because his case could be transferred to juvenile court.

The teen is charged with two counts of attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault, theft and possession of a motor vehicle, resisting arrest, hit-and-run offenses, malicious destruction of property and multiple traffic violations, according to authorities.

Police also arrested 18-year-old Janay Ellenore Morrison of Baltimore County.

Authorities say Morrison was a passenger in the stolen vehicle but got out before the traffic stop and pursuit began at Raising Cane’s. She is charged with unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and resisting or interfering with an arrest, according to the court’s charge summary.

The Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office told FOX45 that both cases are currently being handled in adult court. However, prosecutors said the 17-year-old’s case could still be transferred to juvenile court.