A “person of interest” is in police custody in connection to a shooting of two Anne Arundel County, Maryland, detectives, officials said Thursday afternoon.
“We do not believe there is any further threat to our community,” Anne Arundel County police tweeted out just after 3 p.m. They’re still collecting evidence in the case, police told WTOP, and there is still a lot of work to do.
Police had urged the suspect who shot two of their detectives to turn himself in during a news conference Thursday morning. “We need you to come and turn yourself in. You need to come in and end this lunacy before another person gets hurt,” county police Chief Timothy Altomare said.
Around 50 officers went door-to-door Thursday morning in the neighborhoods of Stoney Beach and Orchard Beach to protect area residents and find the suspect, who was believed to be armed and dangerous, Altomare had said.
The incident began around 5 p.m. Wednesday as a homicide investigation in the 600 block of Newfield Road in Glen Burnie, where responding officers found a man dead on the scene with upper body trauma. Investigators learned that the victim’s vehicle was missing.
Then, around 11 p.m., detectives found the vehicle in Baltimore City, close to the county line. Police said the suspect was driving the victim’s car.
One detective conducted a traffic stop, when the suspect shot him. Another detective chased the suspect to Stoney Beach. That detective was also shot, and the suspect escaped on foot.
As of Thursday evening, both detectives are “out of surgery and taking the first steps on the road to recovery,” Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman tweeted just after 5 p.m.
Earlier, one of the detectives was in “critical but stable condition” and the other was in stable condition, said county police spokeswoman Sgt. Jacklyn Davis.
Detective Scott Ballard is a 22-year veteran in the criminal investigation and fugitive apprehension department. Detective Ian Preece is a 13-year veteran working in homeland security investigations. They are being treated at the same hospital.
I am pleased to announce that our brave @AACOPD Detectives Scott Ballard and Ian Preece are out of surgery and taking the first steps on the road to recovery. Their families are with them and making sure they have support. Let’s all continue to send positive thoughts their way!
— County Executive Steuart Pittman (@AACoExec) February 6, 2020
In Thursday morning’s news conference, Altomare said it was too early to name the suspect or pinpoint the relationship between the suspect and the homicide victim found in Glen Burnie.
The search for the suspect had closed schools Thursday in the northeast cluster of the county. All other schools operated on normal hours. “We closed the schools for a reason,” Altomare had said. “The less people on the street, the better. It makes everybody safer. Stay inside if you can.”
Anyone with information about this case can call the police criminal investigation line at (410) 222-3566.
WTOP’s Michelle Basch contributed to this report.
