OCEAN VIEW, DELAWARE (3/19/2017) A 31-year-old Maryland man was wounded when a police officer and sheriff’s deputy opened fire as the man was driving an SUV toward them west of Ocean View, the Delaware State Police reported early today.
The officer-involved shooting was reported at 10:13 p.m. Saturday after an Ocean View policeman joined the pursuit of the SUV while assisting the Worcester County (Maryland) Sheriff’s Office, state police said.
The officer and deputies pursued the Infiniti SUV as it drove on Burbage Road, Windmill Drive and onto Pine Grove Lane, which is a dead-end road.
State police Master Cpl. Gary Fournier gave this account:
“The operator of the SUV then came to a stop at the end of the road and accelerated backwards at a high speed directly into the front of the fully marked Ocean View police officer’s patrol vehicle, pushing it off the roadway.
“The Infiniti continued backing at a high rate of speed almost striking a fully marked deputy sheriff’s vehicle and smashed into a mailbox where it momentarily stopped. The SUV then drove forward and entered into an empty residential lot where it turned around and began driving toward a sheriff deputy that was standing outside of his vehicle in the driveway of the lot.
“The Ocean View officer was able to exit his patrol vehicle and run up to where the deputy was standing as the SUV accelerated toward the two law enforcement officers who were yelling commands to stop. Both the officer and the deputy fired multiple rounds at the Infiniti before the operator came to a stop in a private driveway in the 36000 block of Pine Grove Lane.”
Fournier said the officer and deputies removed the Hurlock, Maryland. man, from the SUV and rendered first aid until the arrival of emergency medical services. He was then taken by ambulance to an area hospital, where he was admitted in serious condition.
Police are withholding his name pending notification of next of kin.
The Ocean View officer also was taken by ambulance a hospital, where he was treated for injuries suffered in the collision and then released.
The deputy sheriff was not hurt, Fournier said.
The state police homicide unit is investigating the incident and more information will be released later, Fournier said.
According to the sheriff’s office, the incident began about 8:10 p.m. when a deputy observed a vehicle driving in an erratic manner in the area of Eighth Street in Ocean City, Maryland. The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle but the driver fled.
He drove to the Berlin, Maryland, area and crashed the vehicle.
The Hurlock man then allegedly stole a vehicle, drove to Route 90 and abandoned it.
A K-9 tracked him to an area near Route 575 where he allegedly took another vehicle, the sheriff’s office said. That vehicle was abandoned on St. Martin’s Neck Road in the area of Light House Sound.
The man then burglarized a home and stole the occupant’s vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office. A deputy spotted the black vehicle and attempted to stop it but the vehicle fled into Delaware with a deputy giving chase.