A police chase tore through South Baltimore on Wednesday and ended with a white pickup truck crumpled against a marked cruiser, a man strapped to a gurney, and a small army of patrol cars crowding a narrow residential block.
Witnesses said roughly a dozen police vehicles converged on the 1600 block of South Monroe Street, where medics checked on a detained man before loading him into an ambulance. The damaged pickup sat jammed behind the patrol car, its front end pushed in.
According to Fox Baltimore, the pursuit came to a stop when the white truck slammed into the back of the police vehicle. WBFF photographer Maggie Ybarra captured video of medics rolling the man onto a gurney, and the station reported that the driver-side door of the pickup appeared to be marked by several bullet holes. WBFF said it is still working to confirm additional details about the crash, any injuries, and whether charges will follow.
Police pursuit rules
Baltimore police are not supposed to flip on the sirens for every fleeing car. Court filings describing the department's Policy 1503 say officers may generally initiate a vehicle pursuit only when there is probable cause to believe that a felony suspect is inside the vehicle, or when letting that person go would pose an immediate threat of death or serious injury.
The filings also spell out detailed reporting requirements and supervisory review after any chase, a process that has been scrutinized in litigation over earlier pursuit-related crashes. Those cases are cited in a federal court memorandum that lays out how closely the department's pursuits are supposed to be watched.
Why it matters
Vehicle chases in Baltimore have a history of ending badly for people who were never involved in the crime at all. Past incidents have left bystanders and drivers with serious injuries and, in at least one case, proved fatal.
Coverage of a previous deadly crash highlighted that, as CBS Baltimore reported, "it is against Baltimore City police policy to engage in a chase unless warranted." That kind of language is exactly why any new pursuit, especially one that ends in a violent collision on a city block, tends to face heavy scrutiny.
What's next
Fox Baltimore reported that officers detained at least one person following Wednesday's crash. As of the latest check, the Baltimore Police Department Newsroom did not list any official update or press release about the pursuit.
This story will be updated if police release more information, including whether any officers were hurt, whether the detained man faces charges, or what prompted the chase through South Baltimore in the first place.
