Jurors see AR-15 rifle used to shoot two Baltimore County police officers in David Linthicum trial
BALTIMORE -- Jurors saw more graphic images Friday in the trial of David Linthicum who is accused of the attempted murder of two Baltimore County police officers last year.
That includes the rifle used to shoot the two officers.
The jury also saw Detective Jonathan Chih's bloody glasses and service weapon, which were left in the middle of Warren Road in Cockeysville during the chaos of the violent encounter in early February 2023.
Graphic body camera video
WJZ obtained body-worn camera videos from officers that are the centerpiece of the prosecution's case and show both violent encounters.
They began when Linthicum's father, John Linthicum, called police to his home and asked for assistance because his son was armed and suicidal.
Police followed Linthicum into his basement where his son was sitting on his bed holding an AR-15 rifle and opened fire, hitting Officer Barry Jordan.
Then, he went on the run.
During the manhunt the next day, Detective Chih went to check out a possible hitchhiker nearby on Warren Road.
The defense has questioned why Chih alone confronted a person walking down a dark road during a manhunt for an armed, suicidal Linthicum.
Almost immediately after Chih got out of his unmarked police truck with lights flashing, Linthicum asked him, "Are you trying to kill me?"
"No, why?" Chih responded.
Linthicum opened fire multiple times and fled in Chih's truck to Harford County where he was captured without incident.
Linthicum's defense has also been critical of how police handled the initial call to Linthicum's home, saying they should have called a crisis team and not tried to confront someone armed and in the middle of a mental health crisis.
Mishandling evidence?
On Friday, defense attorneys also tried to cast doubt in jurors' minds about the handling of evidence at the scene in Harford County where Linthicum was captured—including a weapon Chih stored in his police truck, which they claim was not properly documented before police removed it from the vehicle.
"I think what happened in there, the record speaks for itself that we asked the questions—that there were documents about a search warrant," Linthicum's attorney Deborah Katz Levi told WJZ during a break in proceedings. "And that's all I can say, really. You heard it on the record."
Honors for wounded detective
Detective Chih was honored as a hero last year after being released from rehab and remains on administrative duty because of the severe injuries he suffered.
There have been simmering tensions between prosecutors and defense attorneys.
The defense has also alleged the judge is biased toward the prosecution and demanded he recuse himself, which he will not do.