City Officer shoots at armed man, misses but makes arrest
A Baltimore police officer chased and confronted a man in Northeast Baltimore Wednesday night, and shot at him when he took out a gun, police said in a statement. Police later learned the man was wanted in a holdup at a grocery store in May.
The officer missed his target but police were able to arrest the suspect after he dropped his weapon behind a trailer in a vacant lot off Moravia Road. The full statement from city police follows:
On August 24, 2011 at approximately 10:50 pm, Northeast District officers observed a suspicious group of individuals gathered in the 5900 blk of Moravia Rd. Upon approaching the group for questioning, Mr. Lamont Thomas (B/M 5/20/93) disengaged from the pack and engaged police on a brief foot pursuit into a vacant parking lot.
Mr. Thomas attempted to hide behind a silver/chrome colored trailer and as the officer approached, he withdrew a silver colored firearm from his front waistband.
Fearing for his immediate safety and that of his back up officers, the officer discharged one round from his service issued weapon but did not strike the suspect. Immediately after, Mr. Thomas discarded his silver colored handgun and surrendered to police.
He was then transported to the Northeast District Detective Unit where he was charged with assault on police and handgun violations. It was also learned that Mr. Thomas has an open warrant for a commercial armed robbery which occured on May 30, 2011 in the 200 block of Chesterfield Ave (Gomez Grocery). In that incident, Mr. Thomas is accused of robbing the store with a small black semi-auto handgun and getting away with cash and cigarettes.
Comments
So—this would be the reason for the helicopter over my house last night? Unless it's a different crime, several police cars were gathered at the corner of Walther and Montebello Avenues.
Posted by: Leslie Fuquinay Miller | August 25, 2011 2:51 PM
Shame he wasn't a better shot.
Posted by: Peter | August 26, 2011 12:17 AM