Man shot by police faces gun, assault charges

WASHINGTON – A man who was shot by police during a traffic stop in the Gaithersburg area last month now faces multiple charges including theft and two counts of assault.

Montgomery County police say Juan L. Cazares-Roque, 26 of no known address, is also charged with possession of an exposed shot gun in a motor vehicle.

On June 23, Cazares-Roque was wanted in connection with a domestic violence investigation by police in Howard County, who asked Montgomery County police to check out a Gaithersburg residence believing Cazares-Roque would be there, police say.

When police arrived at the home, they saw Cazares-Roque drive away in a Ford Explorer. Police say when officers stopped him at the intersection of Quince Orchard and Darnestown roads, Cazares-Roque reached for a shotgun that was in the front passenger area.

Officer David Delacruz fired his own rifle, hitting Cazares-Roque in the arm and leg. Cazares-Roque then took off again in the Explorer, with police following, until the Explorer hit another vehicle at the intersection of Quince Orchard Road and Great Seneca Highway, according to Montgomery County police.

The woman who was driving the vehicle that Cazares-Roque hit was not injured. And no police officers were injured.

Cazares-Roque was taken into custody and transported to the hospital to be treated for injuries that were not life-threatening. Officers found a shotgun in the Explorer that had been reported stolen in Baltimore County.

He was released from the hospital on June 25 and taken to jail where he awaits an August 16 preliminary hearing, police say.

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