Suspect Shot, Killed After Ramming Stolen Vehicle Into Police Cruiser

FREDERICK, Md. (WJZ) -- A bizarre incident at a Frederick gas station leads a state trooper to shoot and kill a man. Police say the SUV the suspect was driving was stolen during an armed robbery here in Baltimore.

Derek Valcourt explains the connection.

Police have not been able to positively identify the suspect, so they can't say for sure if he's the one who stole the car here in Baltimore. They wanted to ask him about it, but he didn't give them a chance.

The shooting happened before 9 a.m. Monday in the normally busy Sheetz parking lot packed with witnesses.

"It sounded to me like four quick shots, and that was it," said Bill Day, witness.

It started when troopers approached a man to question him driving a stolen SUV. That's when he jumped inside a tan Lincoln Navigator and tried to get away, ignoring police commands to stop.

He hit the gas just as a Frederick police officer in a white Ford cruiser pulled into the Sheetz parking lot and in front of the Navigator.

"The suspect drove the vehicle, the Navigator, directly into the side of that Frederick officer," said Greg Shipley, Maryland State Police. "The force of that crash drove that Frederick officer's vehicle across the parking lot and up onto a curb and pinned the officer inside the vehicle."

Police say the suspect exited the SUV and lunged at Trooper William Jensen, who opened fire. The suspect died at the scene.

Baltimore police confirmed the Lincoln Navigator had been reported stolen in an armed robbery in the 3600 block of Dolefield Avenue on Sunday night.

Investigators say the suspect had stolen ID on him and a large folding knife.

"I believe he was on something," said Carl Castle, witness.

Castle encountered the suspect acting strangely in the Sheetz bathroom and displaying a wad of cash.

"He was showing it to me, saying, 'Let's go party.' And he just started flipping through hundred dollar bills," he said.

Police say they also found a crack pipe at the scene.

"The officer did what he had to do," said Castle. "Cause he might not have gone home to his family tonight."

State police say they will try to use fingerprints to positively identify the suspect.

The trooper, William Jensen, a five year veteran of the force, is now on routine administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.