Driver Trying To Avoid Traffic Stop Shut Down Beltway: Police

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — A driver who wouldn't comply with a traffic stop and whose truck looked suspicious shut down Interstate 695 briefly Tuesday afternoon, according to authorities. The driver ran out of gas and was ultimately arrested, the Baltimore County Police Department reported.

It was the second time in two days that a suspicious vehicle caused alarm and brought part of the Baltimore metro area to a standstill.

On Monday, a van filled with allegedly stolen gasoline inside a Pratt Street parking garage cleared out buildings and closed roads near the Inner Harbor for several hours as investigators looked into the parked vehicle.

The incident in Baltimore County began midday with a reckless driver going south on I-83 from the Cockeysville precinct, according to the Baltimore County Police Department. He was behind the wheel of a Budget rental truck.

Police said that an officer had attempted to pull the rental truck over for speeding on I-83 south, but the driver continued until running out of gas on the inner loop of I-695 before Providence Road.

"The driver was immediately taken into custody, but the officer noticed suspicious damage to the rental truck that caused concern based on yesterday's events," the Baltimore County Police Department said in a statement. A K-9 officer and hazardous devices team were called.

The beltway was shut down around 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10, in the area of Providence Road. I-695 was closed in both directions, and traffic was diverted off the interstate at the exit ramps.

In investigating the Budget truck, police were "using an abundance of caution considering yesterday's events involving vans found in both Baltimore County and Baltimore City containing large amounts of diesel fuel," the Baltimore County Police Department said in a statement.

Nothing was found in the truck, and the driver was arrested for fleeing, police said.

While officials reopened much of the beltway in less than an hour, they said they were still investigating."Officers have opened all outer loop lanes & the 2 left lanes of the inner loop," the Baltimore County Police Department reported after 2 p.m. "Police remain on the scene & continue to investigate the rental truck."

By 3:15 p.m., all lanes had reopened.

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