A Baltimore police officer is behind bars after a woman told investigators he pointed a shotgun at her inside his Northeast Baltimore home, according to charging documents. The officer, 33-year-old Emmanuel Ricky Alston, was arrested Tuesday and charged with first- and second-degree assault. After a hearing on Wednesday, a judge ordered Alston held without bond, and he remains in custody while the case moves forward.
The Baltimore Banner reports that officers were called around 4 a.m. to the 6000 block of McClean Boulevard. A woman told police she and a friend had been at Alston’s home when he allegedly grabbed a shotgun, started loading it with red shells, and said he “would kill anyone who came over.” According to the charging documents the outlet reviewed, the woman pushed her way out of the house and fled to a nearby gas station for help.
When officers later secured the residence, they reported finding a shotgun leaning against a living room wall, a compact rifle on a bedroom floor, a handgun on a couch, and a clear shotgun magazine with shells under that couch, according to the same report. The outlet also notes that Alston was hired in 2019 and, according to city salary records it cited, had an annual 2025 salary of about $80,000 and took home roughly $108,000 that year.
Charges and penalties
Prosecutors have charged Alston with first- and second-degree assault. Under Maryland law, assault in the first degree is a felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison, according to Maryland Criminal Law. Second-degree assault also carries potential prison time, with possible years behind bars depending on the circumstances of the case and any sentencing enhancements that might apply.
Department response
The arrest has now become the Baltimore Police Department’s problem as much as the courts’. In a statement to reporters, department spokesperson Lindsey Eldridge said officials were "aware of" the arrest and that Alston has been suspended without pay, according to The Baltimore Banner. Before his arrest, Alston was assigned to the Western District. Three Baltimore officers took him into custody and transported him to the Northeastern District station for further investigation, the outlet reported.
What happens next
For now, Alston remains jailed, held without bond while prosecutors review the charging documents and other evidence. He was taken to the Northeastern District station, which state records list at 1900 Argonne Drive, according to the Maryland State Archives. Alston’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
