Off-Duty Officer Stops Armed Suspect After Carjacking and Shooting Spree

A suspect is in custody following a violent carjacking and shooting spree that left two people injured, one critically, before an off-duty police officer intervened and helped bring the rampage to an end.

The chaos unfolded shortly before 2:50 p.m., when police received a report of a man with a gun in a Riverdale neighborhood. Within 20 minutes, authorities were responding to multiple shooting scenes.

Witnesses described a man walking around with a long gun, believed to be an AR-15. “It looked like he was walking around trying to find someone to shoot,” one witness said. The suspect was also attempting to carjack people, according to police radio traffic.

One victim was struck by the suspect’s vehicle during a carjacking attempt. “He just sideswipes me and he tries to like overpass me when he hits like the front of my car fender bumper, and he flips over,” a witness recounted. “As soon as I get close to the car, I hear a shot go off.”

The Prince George’s County Police Chief described the coordinated response by multiple agencies and the critical role played by an off-duty county police officer.

The off-duty officer, who was in his own personal vehicle and unarmed, witnessed one of the carjackings and saw the suspect fire the AR-15 at a victim. The victim was not struck. Without hesitation, the officer pursued the shooter to the 9000 block of Edmondstone Road.

There, the suspect exited his vehicle and fired shots at the off-duty officer. At that moment, U.S. Park Police officers arrived on scene. The suspect pointed the weapon at them, but authorities believed he was out of ammunition. He dropped the weapon and was taken into custody.

The police chief later spoke with the off-duty officer, who was not injured. “His words to me, I won’t quote, but it was: ‘I was not going to let him get away,’” the chief said.

The police chief also credited residents of Prince George’s County for their assistance. “The phone calls, the exact descriptions, the help that they received from the community allowed them to take this man into custody between 10 and 15 minutes after they were first aware,” the chief said.

One adult male was shot and transported for treatment. A second victim was reported in critical condition. Police also requested officers to head to elementary schools in the area, including a French immersion school, as the emergency unfolded.