3 Officers, Suspect Injured After Traffic Stop: Police

ABERDEEN, MD – An Aberdeen man who had been a passenger in a vehicle is facing multiple charges after a traffic stop Monday morning was connected to the hospitalization of four people, including three officers.

By 12:15 p.m., police said the three officers and the suspect had been treated and released from medical centers.

Brandon Watson, 34, of East Bel Air Avenue, is charged with first and second-degree assault, possession of PCP, possession of more than 10 grams of marijuana and resisting arrest, according to police.

Watson was in the backseat of a 2011 Nissan Rogue that officers pulled over at 1:29 a.m. on Post Road at Greene Avenue because the 32-year-old Baltimore man driving allegedly had a revoked license, police said.

As officers were investigating the situation, they claimed Watson got out of the car and tried to get rid of drugs. A struggle began, and one of the officers radioed for backup, police reported.

One officer responding to the call for assistance got into a crash on MD 22 near Rogers Street that officials said left the car partly disabled.

Police said the officer ran 0.5 mile to get to the traffic stop and helped bring Watson into custody.

Watson, Officer First Class Jeanette Giganto and Officer Doglas Taddeo were taken to Harford Memorial Hospital, where all have been released, according to police.

The officer who got into the crash—Officer First Class Ryan Nelson—was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was listed in stable condition Monday morning. He was released by 12:15 p.m., police said.

The Aberdeen Police Department recently had an officer injured during a call about a suspicious circumstance. That officer was shot in the eye in early December and is recovering.