Maryland
Maryland lawmakers push bill to make traffic stops safer
Three times in the last four weeks, deadly crashes in Prince George’s County have involved drivers fleeing traffic stops.
In each case, investigators say the drivers initially pulled over before taking off.
On Feb. 28 in Hyattsville, Esmeralda Montoya-Perez was killed while she waited for a bus on East West Highway in Chillum.
Seven days later on Addison Road South in Capitol Heights, three-year-old Zoey Harrison was killed while riding in the car with her mother.
And then last Friday on Martin Luther King Jr. Highway in Landover, Patrica Riddick was killed in a horrific crash while traveling through an intersection with her daughter.
So far, no one has been charged in any of the fatal crashes. State’s attorney Aisha Braveboy spoke about the crashes with reporters Monday.
“We know that these individuals did not intend to kill anyone, but when you are fleeing, when you are traveling at high rates of speed, it’s unpredictable. What happens is unpredictable.”
Braveboy said her office will make a decision on charges after the police investigations are completed.
“The police get behind you, put those things that spin red and blue, says they are taking an action to stop you, you can stop,” said Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz.
If Sen. Charles Sydnor of Baltimore County is successful with Senate Bill 292, officers would be precluded from making traffic stops for some minor infractions.
He spoke about the bill during a January hearing in Annapolis.
“They include the obstruction of vehicle registration license plates in any manner, driving without functioning headlights, brake lights or tail lights, driving without a mirror, with obstructed or damaged mirrors,” Sydnor said.
Sydnor said the bill, if passed, would reduce the racial disparity in traffic stops as well as making it safer for officers.
However, the bill was immediately lampooned by the sheriff in Harford County, who made fun of it in a video posted to social media.
So far, according to the Maryland General Assembly’s website, the bill has been referred to committee.
The Maryland Attorney General’s office will investigate the pursuits that led to those three deadly crashes to make sure the officers involved followed department policies.
The state’s attorney will determine whether the drivers face any additional charges.
It is not yet known if any of the pursuits were started based on any of the “minor infractions” listed in Sydnor’s bill.
A University of Maryland (UMD) football player was arrested for harassment, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.
Dontay Joyner, a defensive back and rising senior at UMD, was charged with telephone misuse for making repeated calls, electronic communications harassment, and violating release conditions, a misdemeanor offense, according to court records.
Joyner’s attorney is calling the ordeal “outrageous,” saying “[Joyner] has been locked in a cage in Harford County for seven nights after being charged with a misdemeanor for telephone misuse for texting his longtime girlfriend during an argument. This is simply outrageous.”
Joyner’s attorney, Former Attorney General Douglas Gansler, said the 21-year-old has never been in trouble with the law and does not own a handgun. According to Gansler, Joyner’s girlfriend is “fully supportive of him and does not want to press charges.”
According to the UMD Terps website, Joyner is a Lakeland, Florida, native who previously attended Arkansas State. In the spring, Joyner was given the Nick Cross Defensive Back Award in a tradition that honors “past terrapin greats.”
According to court records, Joyner was held without bond.
WJZ has reached out to UMD officials for comment.
In Maryland, residents can find parades, concerts, history programs, fireworks, volunteer opportunities and family-friendly celebrations leading up to Independence Day.
America250, the national semiquincentennial initiative, is encouraging communities to take part through local commemorations, block parties, service projects and July 4 events. State and local commissions, historical societies, museums, libraries, parks departments and civic groups are also hosting events tied to the milestone.
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