A Montgomery County officer on patrol spotted a Chevrolet Corvette that had been reported stolen out of Anne Arundel County the previous month, leading officers to track the Corvette to a driveway, where an encounter ended with the officer struck in the head with a rifle and a 23-year-old man held without bond. The confrontation unfolded shortly before 10:45 p.m. on Monday near a quiet stretch of Hollywood Avenue, where police say the night quickly turned chaotic.
According to Daily Voice, investigators tracked the Corvette to a driveway in the 900 block of Hollywood Avenue, where two people got out of the car and went into a nearby home. A plainclothes officer approached the vehicle as part of the investigation, and that is when the encounter turned violent, as reported by DC News Now.
Suspect Allegedly Strikes Officer Before Fleeing
Police said Isaiah Armstrong Smith, 23, walked out of the home armed with a rifle and struck the officer in the head with the gun before taking off on foot as other officers arrived on scene. The station's report says Smith then ran from the area, prompting a search involving multiple agencies.
Officers deployed a drone unit, identified by police as Raven 32, to help track the suspect. With an assist from a Prince George's County police helicopter and a K9 unit, Smith was ultimately located and taken into custody in the 900 block of Winhall Way.
Discarded Firearm Recovered Nearby
During the search, detectives recovered Smith's privately manufactured AR-style pistol, which had been tossed in the 1000 block of Hollywood Avenue, per the same account. Smith was later taken to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, where he was charged with first-degree assault, possession of a stolen vehicle, and multiple firearms-related offenses. He is being held without bond.
Under Maryland's assault statute, a person may not commit an assault with a firearm, and a conviction under that section is classified as first-degree assault, a felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison, according to Maryland General Assembly, Criminal Law § 3-202. The statute outlines the potential penalty for the offense but does not reflect any outcome or sentence in Smith's case.
Second Arrest Tied to the Stolen Vehicle
A 22-year-old Silver Spring man believed to have been driving the stolen Corvette was also located and arrested without incident in the 900 block of Hollywood Avenue. He was released pending further investigation, the outlet's report notes.
