6 shot at illegal car meet near BWI in Anne Arundel County

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. (7News) — Six people were shot early Saturday morning at an illegal car meet in an industrial area near Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, police said.

Officers responded around 4:40 a.m. Saturday to the 1300 block of Charwood Road after receiving reports of gunfire and a large crowd dispersing, according to Anne Arundel County police spokesman Justin Mulcahy.

“When we get there, we find a victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the torso,” Mulcahy said.

RELATED | Anne Arundel County police investigate Hanover shooting that injured six

Over the next several hours, additional victims arrived at three hospitals across the region, including facilities as far away as Montgomery County. All five had also been shot at the Hanover gathering, bringing the total number of victims to six.

The victims include men and women as well as two boys under 18. Police said all are expected to survive.

Investigators said the shooting occurred during a large car rally in a mostly deserted industrial park — an area with limited security cameras and little weekend activity. Authorities said such locations are increasingly used for illegal car meet-ups, rather than busy commercial areas.

Police believe a fight among attendees escalated, leading at least one person to open fire into the crowd.

The shooting is the second such incident tied to a car meet in the region in the past three months. On April 27, six people were shot — one of them fatally — during a similar gathering in a parking garage in Columbia.

At the time, Prince George’s County Police Chief George Nader warned about the dangers posed by these events.

“When you have a crowd of people and you’re bold enough to just start shooting, you don’t know who those bullets are going to hit,” Nader said.

In the wake of earlier incidents, Prince George’s County has made it illegal to attend or participate in such unauthorized car rallies.

Anne Arundel County police echoed that message, urging people to avoid the gatherings entirely.

“Don’t go. Don’t have events. Don’t even be a bystander at these events,” Mulcahy said.

No arrests have been announced in connection with either the Hanover shooting or the April incident in Columbia. Police said the investigation remains ongoing.