Montgomery County police arrested a teenager on Wednesday whom authorities said was driving over 100 mph on Interstate 270 in Maryland before the suspect allegedly intentionally ran over a police officer who was laying road traps.
Police said they took Raphael Mayorga, 19, of Frederick, into custody on charges of attempted murder, as well as multiple traffic violations, for the predawn crash that left 36-year-old Sgt. Patrick Kepp unable to use his legs.
Chief of Police Marcus Jones said Sgt. Kepp, a nine-year veteran with Montgomery County police, remains in critical condition at a local hospital.
“The situation took a turn when [Mayorga] intentionally — and I want to stress that — the vehicle is observed actually intentionally moving from the middle lanes to the far left lanes and came directly at Sgt. Kepp as he was deploying the soft stop sticks,” Chief Jones said at an afternoon press conference.
Authorities said Mr. Mayorga is a repeat traffic offender who frequently tries to provoke officers into chasing him on major roadways.
State court records show Mr. Mayorga has multiple open cases against him for various road infractions, including three separate incidents from April and May. The chief said Sgt. Kepp performed one of those traffic stops in May because Mr. Mayorga was driving 136 mph on a road with a 55 mph speed limit.
Mr. Mayorga also pleaded guilty to a petty theft offense in August.
Chief Jones said officers had a lookout for a green Dodge Challenger early Wednesday that was seen driving over 110 mph on I-270 near the Clarksburg Outlets.
The suspect vehicle kept exiting and reentering the highway, the chief said, and nearly ran another driver off the road.
That’s when Chief Jones said officers decided to station themselves along the interstate to lay out stop sticks and deflate the car’s tires.
The chief said Mr. Mayorga was driving north on I-270 when the suspect spotted Sgt. Kepp putting out the traps near Watkins Mill Road and rammed into the officer around 3:45 a.m.
The suspect’s vehicle was immobilized by another batch of stop sticks near Clarksburg Road, where police said they arrested Mr. Mayorga without incident.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Sgt. Kepp and his family during this time,” Chief Jones said. “He is not alone and he is surrounded by his family, his friends and his coworkers.”
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said a legislative solution should be considered for this type of behavior, since Mr. Mayorga is accused of instigating multiple high-speed chases that endanger other drivers.
Police are still looking to determine if the driver was under the influence of any drugs or alcohol during the incident.
Mr. Mayorga is scheduled to have a bond hearing in court Thursday.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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