Crime & Safety
Marine Stationed At Fort Meade Killed In Motorcycle Crash
A Marine from Illinois stationed at Fort Meade died Friday when his motorcycle was struck by a Crofton driver, police say.
GAMBRILLS, MD — A Marine stationed at Fort Meade died Friday when his Yamaha motorcycle was struck by a Crofton driver, police say. Investigators believe speed is a factor in the crash that killed James Ray Walden, 21, of Peoria Heights.
The crash happened on Patuxent Road near Conway Road in Gambrills. Witnesses told Anne Arundel County Police that a 2007 BMW 335i was southbound on Patuxent Road when the driver lost control of the vehicle, which crossed the double yellow line into the northbound lane and struck Walden's northbound motorcycle.
Walden was thrown from the bike and suffered fatal injuries. A front seat passenger in the BMW — Kevin Rolando Perez Velasquez, 22, of the 1600 block of Heather Place in Crofton — suffered minor injuries.
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As police officers arrived, the driver of the BMW — Martin Martinez Ballinas, 28, of the 1600 block of Heather Place in Crofton — reportedly fled the scene. Police caught Ballina about a quarter of a mile south of the crash scene hiding in a quarry.
Charges are pending review by the state's attorney.
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