Police On Girlfriend's Intervention In Chase: 'Maybe She De-Escalated This'
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The man accused of leading Baltimore Police on a wild, dangerous chase Friday appeared before a judge Monday.
Investigators also released more information about 30-year-old Mausean Vittorio Quran Carter at an afternoon press conference. He now faces a slew of charges, including murder and attempted murder.
Earlier Monday, a judge ordered Carter to undergo a mental health evaluation. Some family members say Carter suffered mental illness.
His older brother told WEAA radio, "My brother has been diagnosed with a mental disorder." He said the family has tried to get him help for years, and offered condolences to the victims.
Police declined to go into detail on his mental health history and if he was being given any treatment.
"He's in state custody, so we can't comment on that right now," BPD Commissioner Kevin Davis said.
Chopper 13 was the only news helicopter over the 30-minute chase. WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren says it's rare that a violent incident is captured on camera from start to finish, but this one was. Police also released new body camera footage at the press conference.
"Thank God for body-worn cameras. Thank God for Foxtrot and their video capabilities," Davis said at a Monday afternoon press conference.
It shows the initial traffic stop on Fulton Avenue, where a young officer noticed Carter's Lexus, which police were looking for in connection to several murders.
Carter initially appeared calm when the officer pulled him over, handing him a handwritten doctor's note excusing the dark tinting on his windows. A short time later, when the officer asked Carter to get out of his car, he took off on a half-hour long chase that Chopper 13 captured exclusively. Carter had a rifle and a handgun in his car, and at least one weapon had the serial number scratched off.
The bodycam video also shows the officer scrambling to get back into his cruiser to pursue him. Moments after the chase began, gunshots can be heard coming from Carter's car.
He wounded several people before arranging to meet his girlfriend and surrender near Mondawmin Mall.
Police said Monday that Carter has a lengthy criminal record dating back more than a decade. The 30-year-old Carter's criminal background includes arrests dating back to 2004 on traffic, gun, and drug charges.
Speaking Monday after the girlfriend who rushed the car and threw herself onto Carter as he pulled up near a curb, Davis said she may have helped matters.
"Thankfully they got on the phone together and, you know, maybe she de-escalated this and maybe he wasn't intending to ever stop," Davis said. "You know, maybe she played a role in making this scenario end better, as bad as it was, better than it could have ended. So maybe she has a significant role in that."
Davis said the girlfriend was cooperative and was interviewed for several hours by homicide detectives.
Carter remains jailed. Police have charged him with murder and attempted murder in various cases, including shootings earlier this month on Edmondson Ave., and a deadly triple shooting on Poplar Grove.
Police say his motive remains unclear, and they're still investigating whether all of his victims were targeted at random. Charging documents state one shooting may have been related to road-rage.
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