FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 410-576-7009
BALTIMORE, MD – Today, Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced his
decision not to seek charges in the Tuesday, December 3, 2024, fatal officer-involved vehicle collision in
La Plata, Charles County, Maryland.
On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at approximately 3:37 a.m., a deputy with the King George County
Sheriff’s Office in Virginia began pursuing a Kia sedan suspected of being involved in a robbery in King
George County, Virginia. At approximately 3:45 a.m., the pursuit crossed into Charles County, Maryland.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office and La Plata Police Department were notified. In response, one
deputy, Corporal Katie Bottorf, and two officers, Officer Tommy Johnston and Corporal Jacob Shuar, set
up along U.S. Route 301 (Robert Crain Highway) with their emergency lights on and placed tire deflation
devices on the road. The Kia hit two of the devices but kept driving at speeds of 100 m.p.h. Maryland
officers did not join the pursuit. At approximately 4:06 a.m., the pursuit ended when the Kia collided with
an uninvolved civilian vehicle at the intersection of Route 301 and Port Tobacco Road. All three officers
rendered aid to the occupants of both vehicles until EMS arrived and assumed medical care. The driver of
the uninvolved vehicle was transported to a local hospital where they were treated for non-life-threatening
injuries and released. The two occupants of the Kia were transported to a local hospital with critical
injuries. The juvenile driver of the Kia was treated and released. The front seat passenger of the Kia, a
juvenile, died of his injuries on December 6, 2024.
The Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division (IID) began investigating the fatal officer-involved vehicle collision on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, and concluded its investigation on June 5,
2025. After completing its investigation and evaluating all the available evidence, the Office of the
Attorney General has determined that the subject officers did not commit a crime under Maryland law.
Accordingly, the Attorney General has declined to prosecute any of the officers in this case.
A copy of the IID’s detailed investigative findings and analysis of relevant legal issues can be found in its
declination report.
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