BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — The robbery suspect that crashed on I-695 Sunday morning appears to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was also involved in three armed robberies, according to police.
RELATED: Armed robbery suspect crashes vehicle on I-695 during multi-county pursuit
According to the Baltimore County Police Department, just before 8 a.m., Harford County Sheriff's Office deputies released a description of a 2004 Honda Accord that was being driven by a person suspected in several armed robberies in Harford County that they were pursuing into Baltimore County.
As they entered the County, near Philadelphia Road and Campbell Boulevard, Baltimore County Police officers located the vehicle and continued the pursuit.
Officers followed the Honda onto the inner loop of I-695 near Route 702, where it began to drive erratically, striking a guardrail several times and eventually coming to a stop just before Eastern Avenue.
Officers approached the vehicle and discovered the driver suffering from serious injuries. After breaking the window to remove him from the vehicle, the driver was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A weapon was recovered from inside the Honda and police believe the vehicle began driving erratically and crashed as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound by the driver.
Late Sunday, Harford County Sheriff's Office detectives also announced that the suspect in the I-695 pursuit was also responsible for three holiday armed robberies that happened in Harford County.
On Sunday, patrol deputies with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office were assisting detectives with the Criminal Investigations Division in the surveillance of a “person of interest” in multiple commercial armed robberies occurring throughout Harford County.
At around 7:34 a.m., the male subject was seen entering his Honda Accord in the area of the 2800 block of Churchville Road in Churchville. This is the same vehicle that was seen leaving at least one of the robberies.
Patrol deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop in the area of Rt. 136 and Rt. 543, but the vehicle stopped then accelerated refusing to yield to pursuing deputies. The vehicle continued south on MD Route 543, then MD Route 7, toward Baltimore County. Upon entering Baltimore County, HCSO was replaced by units from the Baltimore County Police Department, who continued attempts to stop the vehicle. The suspect, ultimately, took him own life during the pursuit.
According to detectives, the suspect, 38-year-old Thomas R. Hoerr III, of Forest Hill, was a suspect in three Harford County crimes.
After search and seizure warrants were fully executed on Hoerr’s vehicle and residence, evidence was collected that connects him to the following robberies:
- Armed Robbery 12/22/20; High’s located in the 2900 block of Churchville Road, in Churchville
- Armed Robbery 12/26/20; 7-11 located in the 3500 block of Philadelphia Road, in Abingdon
- Armed Robbery being investigated by Aberdeen Police Department
No further information will be released at this time, but the investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the Harford County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at 410-879-7929. Any questions about the Aberdeen armed robbery should be directed to the Aberdeen Police Department.
