A child narrowly avoided being shot outside a Dauphin County McDonald's on Tuesday evening after a parking-lot dispute escalated into gunfire, and the man accused of pulling the trigger was tracked down and arrested in Baltimore City the very next day. Lower Paxton police say Azhan Nadeem, of Mechanicsburg, fired into the child's car following an earlier altercation at the restaurant, narrowly missing the young victim.
According to local21news.com, Lower Paxton police responded at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday to reports of gunfire at the McDonald's in the 1000 block of Briarsdale Road. Officers who arrived on scene spoke with the victim, described only as a child, who told police there had been an earlier altercation with a man in the parking lot before the shooting.
Investigators identified that man as Nadeem, who police say pulled out a gun and shot into the child's car, narrowly missing them. A warrant for Nadeem's arrest was issued as the investigation continued, setting off a search that crossed state lines within a day.
Arrest Comes a Day Later in Baltimore
Nadeem did not stay in Pennsylvania for long. Police say he was apprehended Wednesday in Baltimore City, Maryland, where he is also facing additional charges with the Baltimore City Police Department, though the specifics of those charges have not been detailed by Lower Paxton police.
Back in Pennsylvania, Nadeem has been charged with attempted homicide, carrying a firearm without a license, and recklessly endangering another person, police said. He now sits in Maryland custody awaiting extradition back to Pennsylvania to face those charges, according to police.
What Extradition Means for Nadeem's Case
Getting Nadeem back across state lines involves a formal legal process. The Pennsylvania Office of General Counsel describes extradition as the surrender by one state to another of a person accused of an offense within the requesting jurisdiction, while interstate rendition refers to a state's right to demand the return of a fugitive found elsewhere.
On the Maryland side, the Maryland Secretary of State notes that the process typically begins when the governor of the requesting state submits a formal requisition to Maryland's governor. From there, an executive extradition hearing is scheduled within a 90-day window to determine whether a rendition warrant should be issued and Nadeem surrendered to Pennsylvania authorities.
No further details have been released about the condition of the child involved, the number of shots fired, or whether a weapon was recovered at the scene. Lower Paxton police have not said when Nadeem is expected to be returned to Pennsylvania to face the charges stemming from Tuesday's shooting.
