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Officer Faces Punishment For Pursuit That Turned Fatal

BALTIMORE (WJZ)--A Baltimore City officer will not face charges for a pursuit that killed a man. But he still faces punishment from the department.

Mike Hellgren explains why.

Police have big questions:  Was he out of his jurisdiction, and did he violate the no-chase policy?

Haines Holloway-Lilliston died on the Beltway in Baltimore County after his motorcycle collided with a city police officer pursuing him for speeding.

Now, the county's top prosecutor says he will not prosecute the officer--10-year-veteran Timothy Beall.

"The only thing we can conclude is that nothing criminal happened in this case," said Scott Shellenberger, Baltimore County State's Attorney.

The pursuit last July started at Northern Parkway, eventually winding into the county. From the start, police said they were concerned whether the officer violated their strict no-chase policy.

"Just because you are found not guilty or a prosecutorial agency decides not to prosecute an officer, there are still various departmental charges that we have to look into," said Anthony Guglielmi, Baltimore City Police spokesperson.

WJZ spoke at length to one of Holloway-Lilliston's family friends who said at this time, the family is declining to comment.

Prosecutors say they did hear one radio transmission where Beall was told to stop the pursuit.

"There's no indication he actually heard that because he did not acknowledge that on the radio,"  Shellenberger said."The other time he was told to stop the chase, he acknowledged that, and we could even hear that the siren went off."

The state's attorney also responded to a published report that the police cruiser made contact with the motorcycle's tire, causing it to be pushed out from under Holloway-Lilliston on the highway.

"Whether the police car nudged him because he was moving up or the motorcycle was slowing down, we really have no way of knowing," Shellenberger said.

���We have a history of holding ourselves accountable, and this commissioner is not going to tolerate any behavior that undermines the integrity of the officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep this city safe," Guglielmi said.

"If new facts come about as a result of another agency's investigation, we will always take a look at the new facts," Shellenberger said.

Officer Beall is suspended right now.  Internal Affairs is handling the case.  Again, though, he will not face criminal charges.

Holloway-Lilliston loved volunteering with children.  A gym at a city elementary school has been renamed in his honor.  He also played football at Towson University.

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