Police pursuit preceded deadly crash in Carroll County on Saturday; Maryland AG investigating

A driver fleeing a traffic stop in Carroll County on Saturday night crashed head-on into another car, killing its driver, according to the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.

The Independent Investigations Unit under the attorney general’s office, which investigates fatal encounters with police in Maryland, is examining the police pursuit that led to the deadly collision, the office said in a news release.

A Carroll County sheriff’s deputy near the intersection of Liberty and Ridge roads in Eldersburg saw a car speeding around 11:30 p.m. and attempted a traffic stop, the release says. About a mile away, the driver, a man, crossed into oncoming traffic on Liberty Road and struck an SUV with a driver and a passenger.

The driver of the SUV was declared dead at the scene while its passenger and the driver who fled were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. None of those involved in the Saturday evening accident had been identified as of Monday.

After about 30 seconds of attempting to pull the driver over, the deputy lost sight of the car, slowed and turned off his emergency equipment before discovering the crash, according to the release. The police car has a dashboard camera that recorded the deputy’s point of view, the release says.

Earlier this month, a fatal crash on Interstate 695 followed a police pursuit. Officers had attempted to stop a reportedly stolen vehicle, but the driver refused, according to Baltimore County Police. The vehicle was traveling in the wrong direction on the interstate’s outer loop when it struck another car, killing the driver.