Suspect Arrested in Shooting of 2 Maryland Officers

Shooting suspect David Linthicum in a police mugshot. (Baltimore County Police Department)

A 24-year-old man was arrested early Friday after he allegedly shot two Maryland police officers, authorities said.

The suspect, identified by police as David Linthicum, was caught after fleeing from a vehicle he had stolen from a police officer he shot on Thursday night.

Linthicum had allegedly shot an officer the day before when police responded to a suicidal person at a home in Cockeysville, some 20 miles north of downtown Baltimore, reported WBAL-TV.

At this scene, officers interacted with Linthicum, who fired multiple shots, wounding one officer, police spokesperson Joy Stewart said. Officers did not fire their weapons during that interaction, she said.

WBAL-TV reported the charging document stated that Linthicum “fired about 15 rounds toward” his father and the officer, who both “fled the residence to seek cover from any further gunshots. Upon exiting ... (the) officer realized he was struck with a fired round.” The father was not injured in the incident, the report stated.

The officer wounded during the shooting was taken to a hospital, and officials announced late Wednesday that he was released and in good spirits.

Linthicum fled into a wooded area, and police began a manhunt.

The search continued into Thursday evening as police ordered residents near the home in Cockeysville to shelter in place because Linthicum was spotted in the area. Several schools in the area were closed Thursday.

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An officer was shot Thursday night during the search, with WBAL-TV reporting that the charging document stated that the officer was shot in the face, torso, leg, and arms.

Interim Baltimore County Police Chief Dennis Delp said early Friday that Linthicum stole the wounded detective’s vehicle after the shooting around 9:20 p.m.

The shot officer was in stable condition, Delp said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Thomas Scalea, University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, said that they “admitted a Baltimore County police officer with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso his extremities. He came in shocky, we stabilized him, but he is on life support.”

Vehicle Pursuit

After Linthicum allegedly stole the officer’s car, a vehicle pursuit took place, which ended in a wooded area, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said in a press release.

The stolen vehicle was disabled by police using spike strips.

Linthicum was forced to stay inside a perimeter of a limited area in the wooded area, but it was not easy to apprehend him as he was armed with “at least one rifle,” Gahler said. “It’s not so easy as just walking up and putting him in handcuffs.”

Linthicum remained in that wooded area for more than eight hours before he was caught, WBAL-TV reported. In the end, police used what they described as “less lethal methods” to get the suspect in handcuffs, the sheriff said, according to the TV station.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.