Del. Man Dies In Single Car Crash In Md. While Fleeing From Traffic Stop
RIDGELY, Md. (WJZ) –- A Delaware man fleeing from a traffic stop died in Maryland after being ejected from a car early Wednesday morning. Police say his license had been revoked and he was wanted on a traffic warrant.
The man is identified as Cecil A. Barrett, 30, of Dover, Del. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
It happened shortly after 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. A trooper was on patrol in the Ridgely area when he observed a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu southbound on Oakland Road that registered on his radar unit a speed of 66 mph in a posted 50 mph zone. The trooper activated the emergency equipment on his marked patrol car and stopped the vehicle on Oakland Road near Benedictine Lane.
The trooper approached the car and found Barrett. As he was talking with the driver, another vehicle pulled in behind the trooper's car. Barrett told the trooper that was his girlfriend. Seconds later, while the trooper was still at the driver's door, Barrett accelerated and fled from the traffic stop.
The trooper ran back to his patrol car and notified the barrack the vehicle had fled from the stop and was southbound on Oakland Road. The trooper could see the car in the distance and noted the driver had turned the lights off on the car.
Within a mile of the original traffic stop, Barrett's vehicle veered to the left and crashed in a field in the 1700-block of Oakland Road.
Preliminary investigation indicates Barrett was southbound on Oakland Road when he failed to negotiate a curve. His vehicle crossed the centerline and the northbound lane. The vehicle left the roadway and became airborne, overturning at least four times through a farm field. The vehicle came to rest near the farm driveway, between 75 and 100 feet from Oakland Road. Barrett was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle.
State Police processed the scene and found a bag containing five smaller bags of suspected marijuana packaged for street sale lying along Oakland Road. Troopers believe the bag was thrown out of the car by Barrett near the point where he lost control of the vehicle.
A check of Barrett's Delaware license found it was suspended and revoked. He was also wanted in Delaware on a warrant for traffic-related charges.
The trooper suffered minor injuries when he fell while running back to his patrol car after Barrett fled the traffic stop. He was treated at the scene.
The investigation is ongoing.
