Baltimore Active Shooter Suspect In Custody

BALTIMORE, MD — Two people were shot and wounded and a police officer was injured in a police chase authorities said was an active shooter situation that spanned the western district.

A 30-year-old Baltimore man was in custody following a 20- to 30-minute police pursuit that went from northwest to southwest to west Baltimore, officials said. By 1:40 p.m., the suspect was in custody.

"We had an active shooter today on a shooting spree, and he was apprehended with firearms," Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said in a Friday afternoon press conference. A handgun and an assault-style rifle were recovered. "This could have been much, much worse," Davis added.

During the chase, the shooter hit two people and missed two others, Davis said. It was not immediately clear how the officer was injured, he said, but that officer was hospitalized with a "significant leg injury."

There were also property damage incidents and vehicle crashes that may have been related to the case, which police were still investigating.

"We have crime scenes throughout the city right now," Baltimore Police Chief of Media Relations T.J. Smith said.

Authorities declined to identify the suspect as charges were pending against him. They said he was also suspected in a triple shooting in Poplar Grove that occurred Thursday and resulted in one fatality and was suspected in a nonfatal shooting on Edmondson Avenue about a week ago.

Police said the incident began Friday morning when an officer from the western district with three years of experience noticed a car wanted in connection with the two shootings from a be-on-the-lookout alert and attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Fulton Avenue at Mosher Street.

On Reisterstown Road at Fulton Street, the suspect stopped and appeared compliant at first, then took off and fired at officers, officials reported.

Police said the officers returned fire on Fulton Avenue at Mosher Street and did not hit the suspect or anyone else. They began a pursuit with assistance from the Baltimore Police helicopter.

The suspect was "shooting from his fleeing vehicle, firing and striking civilians as he's being pursued by police," Commissioner Davis said. "He shot at five people, [including] a police officer, [and] struck two out of the five."

• A 48-year-old man was shot in the knee in the 3100 block of North Avenue at 11:31 a.m., police said.
• Two men were shot at and not hit in the 4400 block of Park Heights Avenue, according to police.
• A man was hit in the upper body on Wabash and Rogers avenues in a vehicle at 11:51 a.m. "That person is in very critical condition with life-threatening injuries," Smith reported before 2 p.m. Another person in the vehicle with the victim was not shot but went into cardiac arrest, and authorities said they did not have information about that person's condition.

The pursuit ended at the intersection of Reisterstown Road and Gwynns Falls Parkway, WBAL reported.

Officers got the suspect out of the vehicle and found two weapons.

One officer sustained a "significant injury to his leg" and was being treated at the hospital, Smith said. It was not immediately available how the officer became injured.

While there were still many unknowns and the investigation was getting started, officials reported that a violent person was apprehended.

"Right now this does appear to be a completely random incident," Chief Smith said. "This doesn't appear to be someone who was targeting these individuals."

Added Smith: "Again, he did this while police were pursuing him. And we are really, really, really fortunate that this wasn't worse, especially with the early dismissal that occurred today."

Schools in Baltimore were let out early on Friday due to snow in the forecast.

"He jeopardized an entire city today due to his intentional recklessness with two guns," the commissioner said.

Authorities were in the process of recovering the weapons and processing multiple crime scenes Friday afternoon.

"Hopefully, no one else was struck," Davis said, "but that's something we're following up on right now."

Davis said that the officers did exactly what they were supposed to in the situation. "The pursuit was 1,000 percent legitimate," Davis said, noting the officers displayed a "great degree of bravery."

When asked about a motive, police said that was still under investigation, along with the suspect's background.

"What possessed this guy to do this? I have no idea," Davis said. "It's absolutely insane, absolutely crazy."

This is breaking news and will be updated.

Image from Baltimore Police/Periscope.