36-Year-Old Man Sentenced To 147 Years For Firing At Baltimore County Police During 2020 Pursuit
ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (WJZ) -- A 36-year-old Baltimore man was sentenced to 147 years in prison Friday after shooting at Baltimore County police officers during a 2020 chase that ended in Elkridge, the Howard County State's Attorney's Office said.
In July, Justin Lee Buchanan was convicted of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, weapons violations and serious traffic offenses
stemming from the incident.
On May 21, 2020, Baltimore County police were attempting to apprehend another man, Benjamin Lemon, suspected of being involved in a shooting two days prior.
Lemon got in the back seat of Buchanan's 2014 Acura RX, and when officers tried to initiate a traffic stop, the car sped off.
The pursuit continued into Howard County. About 2:27 p.m., multiple shots were fired from the Acura toward police.
Officers took cover and returned fire, striking Buchanan and another passenger, who were both taken to Shock Trauma.
Lemon was uninjured and taken into custody.
Howard County investigators found a handgun and multiple spent cartridges in the Acura. DNA evidence linked the gun to Buchanan, prosecutors said.
"Violence in our community will not be tolerated, and any violence against law enforcement deserves the full weight of our justice system," said State's Attorney Rich Gibson. "I hope that today's sentence, handed down by the court, will act as a deterrent to anyone who thinks this kind of lawlessness will be permitted in this space."
