A simple traffic stop in Linthicum spiraled into a kidnapping investigation shortly before 9 a.m. Monday, after a woman told officers she had been handcuffed and held against her will. Maryland Transportation Authority Police detained the driver at the scene and started gathering evidence and talking to witnesses.
Stop At West Nursery And Elm Roads
According to WBAL NewsRadio, an MDTA officer pulled over a car for an illegal turn at West Nursery and Elm roads in Linthicum shortly before 9 a.m. Monday. When the woman got out of the vehicle, she told the officer she had been handcuffed and kidnapped by the driver.
Police identified the driver as 24-year-old Bryan Neal Gordon of Silver Spring. Investigators collected evidence and interviewed witnesses at the roadside, while Gordon was taken to the Jennifer Road Detention Center. As of Thursday, he remained held there without bond.
Gordon faces criminal counts of false imprisonment, kidnapping, and assault, along with traffic charges. Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact MDTA Police at 410-537-6700.
MDTA Patrol And Jurisdiction
The Maryland Transportation Authority Police handle law enforcement on MDTA bridges, tunnels, and highways, as well as at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. That puts their officers on the parkways and feeder roads where this stop happened, and it means a routine traffic pull-over can suddenly uncover an unrelated criminal case.
For more on the agency and its role, see MDTA Police.
Charges And Next Steps
Gordon has been charged with false imprisonment, kidnapping and assault, in addition to traffic offenses, and will remain in pretrial custody as the case moves forward. The Jennifer Road Detention Center is Anne Arundel County's intake and pretrial facility, where arrested individuals are processed for court; see the county's facility information for details.
Those charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty, and prosecutors may file formal charging documents in the coming days.
What To Watch
Investigators say the probe is ongoing, and new details could surface in the near future, including charging documents or a statement from the state's attorney. Anyone with information about the stop is asked to call MDTA Police at 410-537-6700.
