07/05/12 College Park, MD – Man Has Shootout With Police – Steals Prince George’s County Patrol Car – Crashes Into Wall At McDonalds

July 5, 2012

nbcwashington.com

A bizarre police-involved shooting has one man in the hospital and several Prince George’s county police cruisers damaged this morning.

Police say it all started just before 11 p.m. Thursday on the 4700 block of Lakeland Road in College Park, just off the campus of the University of Maryland. They responded to reports of gunshots, and when they arrived found a man wielding a gun. The man and police then exchanged gunfire, with the suspect getting hit several times.

Witnesses tell News4 that police put the man in the back of a cruiser. Somehow, he was able to get into the driver’s seat and sped off down Route 1 before crashing into a wall in front a McDonald’s near Berwyn House Road. Several other police cars then swarmed the suspect, pinning him in and ultimately placing back in custody.

The suspect was then taken to a nearby hospital where he is recovering from non-life threatening injuries. Police did shut down Route 1 for several hours to investigate, but it reopened around 6:00 am. Police plan to hold a press conference around 11:30 this morning to give an update on their investigation.