Sitting at a red light on Route 40 in Elkton, drivers like Tom Braksator, had little warning a stolen truck was barreling towards them with no intention of stopping.
"When we came to the light, we saw all the flashing lights down there at the next light, and I thought, 'Oh boy. We're going to get stuck in some kind of a deal here, and all of the sudden that guy came through and whammed us, and it was over that quick," recalled Braksator.
We have now learned that more than four hours before the multi-car crash in Elkton, the suspect identified as 24-year-old Daytwan Devon Diggs had slipped out of the LA Fitness gym in White Marsh with someone else’s keys, jumped into their truck and drove away.
The joyride ended after a police pursuit through three counties brought him to this intersection 42 miles away.
"When the suspect vehicle reached the intersection of Route 40 and 213, he failed to negotiate that intersection, and I believe he struck about six vehicles causing injuries," said Capt. Joseph Zurolo of the Elkton Police Department.
The most severe injuries suffered by Diggs who you could hear wailing on cell phone video taken of his capture under a table at a nearby Sonic drive-in following the crash.
Two days later, he remains hospitalized with leg and ankle injuries and has yet to face formal charges, which will include second-degree assault on a law enforcement officer after ramming a police car near the Hatem Bridge.
"It's my understanding he hit other vehicles down there... hit one of the local police cars and jumped out of the car down there they were telling me and jumped back in and took off again,” said Braksator, “So the guy was dead set on trying to get away."
We're told Diggs will also face criminal charges of assault and car theft, as well as almost two dozen other traffic offenses after leading police on a chase, in which his truck was clocked at speeds reaching up to 90 miles per hour.
