Teen Recovering After Being Struck By Man Fleeing From Police

BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- A man was arrested after trying to get away from Baltimore police Tuesday night and hitting a 14-year-old boy on his bike.

The man is now behind bars, but some are wondering why officers were following the suspect without turning on their lights and sirens.

Police say it all started with just a routine traffic stop on Reisterstown Road and in a matter of seconds the man took off striking the teen boy just moments afterwards.

"There was a dude flying down in a gold Acura TL and there were some little kids over there," said witness Phillip McPherson. "The next thing I know, I just hear like this bang of this crash. I thought it was a motorcycle, but it was a kid on a bike."

Baltimore police said they wanted to stop 20-year-old Hunter Jessup for just a few minor violations but instead he turned the stop into a major problem.

"The officers then got back in their vehicle followed the vehicle for a period of time, a very short period of time, and the driver of that vehicle collided with a young man who was riding his bike," said Baltimore police spokesman T.J. Smith.

Officers said Jessup's run from the law didn't stop there.

"The driver then continued on, crashed his vehicle in the 3600 block of Park Heights bailed out of his vehicle and took off on foot," Smith said.

Police in a helicopter located him nearby.

Once in handcuffs, officers said they found heroin, drugs and a large stack of cash.

Some believe the crash may have been avoided.

"The cops were going at him and they didn't have their lights on no sirens no nothing. So I guess that's why the kids were still in the street," McPherson said.

"This doesn't appear that this was a chase, it appears it was a traffic stop," Smith said.

The teen was taken to the Johns Hopkins Hospital with a broken ankle and is expected to be OK.

Jessup faces a long list of drug and traffic charges.

Police said they're investigating the incident.

Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook