State investigators examine deadly crash following attempted traffic stop in Cecil County
BALTIMORE — The Independent Investigations Division of the Office of the Attorney General is investigating a fatal crash following an attempted traffic stop and police pursuit in Cecil County, according to the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.
The incident began around 12:10 p.m. on December 31. That's, the Maryland State Police began receiving multiple reports of a vehicle driving erratically along Interstate 95, state officials said.
A state trooper attempted to pull over a vehicle matching the description provided in calls to 911. The driver did not stop for the trooper, so the trooper followed the vehicle northbound for about nine miles, according to state officials.
The driver lost control of the car on an exit ramp around mile marker 108 and crashed into a tree, state officials said.
The driver was pronounced dead at the crash site. No other vehicles were involved
in the crash and no one else was in the car that crashed, according to state officials.
The Independent Investigations Division of the Office of the Attorney General is investigating the deadly crash with the assistance of the Maryland State Police Crash Team.
Per protocol, Maryland State Police is supposed to make every reasonable effort to
staff the investigation with personnel who are assigned to a different part of the state.
That protocol dictates that state police conduct a comprehensive inquiry to determine whether or not any state police personnel involved in the investigation have a conflict of interest.
Investigators have noted that the trooper's dashboard camera and microphone were activated during the incident, according to state officials.
Body camera footage or dashboard camera footage is typically made public by investigators within two weeks of an incident.
There may be situations where more than those two weeks is necessary, state officials said.
That could occur if investigators need more time to complete witness interviews or if there are technical delays such as time needed for redactions or time to allow family members to watch the video before it is made public, according to state officials.
Anyone with information about the crash should contact the Independent Investigations Division of the Office of the Attorney General at (410) 576-7070 or by email at
IID@oag.state.md.us.
The names of the officers involved in any of the division's investigations are typically made public within 48 hours of the incident, state officials said.
That period of time could be extended if an officer is injured or if there is a reason to believe that an officer's safety could be in jeopardy.