Officer Involved In Fiery Fatal Crash Identified By Attorney General's Office

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General has identified the the Howard County Police Department officer involved in a fatal police-involved collision that happened Saturday in Columbia.

The identity of the driver who died, a teenage girl, is being withheld in accordance with juvenile privacy laws, the IID stated. The involved officer has been identified as HCPD Police Officer First Class Brian Maurantonio, a four-year veteran, who is assigned to the traffic enforcement section.

The preliminary investigation indicates that on Saturday at approximately 1:50 a.m., an officer with the Howard County Police Department was in an unmarked cruiser and conducting traffic enforcement on Rt. 29 (Columbia Pike) near Johns Hopkins Road. The officer said he saw a Honda sedan traveling in excess of the posted speed limit northbound on Rt. 29. The officer followed the car and caught up to the Honda as it was exiting onto eastbound Rt. 32 (Patuxent Freeway).

As the officer was traveling eastbound on Rt. 32, the officer activated his emergency equipment and attempted a traffic stop. The Honda did not stop and attempted to take the exit ramp from Rt. 32 onto Broken Land Parkway, where it immediately crashed into a wooded area and caught on fire. Officers attempted to put the fire out until Howard County Fire and Rescue Services arrived on the scene. The teenager driving the Honda was pronounced dead at the scene.

The IID continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fatal police-involved collision.

The officers on scene were equipped with body-worn cameras, which recorded the incident, the IID noted. The IID will generally release body-worn camera footage within 20 business days of an incident. There may be situations where more than 20 days is necessary, including if investigators need more time to complete witness interviews, if there are technical delays caused by the need to shield the identities of civilian witnesses, or to allow family members to view the video before it is released to the public.

Anyone with information about the incident, including cell phone or private surveillance video, is asked to contact the IID at (410) 576-7070 or by email at IID@oag.maryland.gov.