COLUMBIA, Md. — For weeks, people have been stealing items from vehicles outside various gyms in Howard County, and the Planet Fitness on Dobbin Road is no exception.
“I have a couple of friends that come to Planet Fitness,” said Matthew Stanley of Columbia. “One of them yesterday said he was in the gym working out and the cop came into the Planet Fitness and was like, ‘Who’s car just broken into?’”
Stepped up patrols in the area appeared to pay off on Wednesday night when an officer spotted a man going from car-to-car, looking inside the windows and checking to see if the doors were unlocked.
RELATED: Multiple seriously injured after collision in Columbia following a police pursuit
“So when the officer approached in his vehicle. Got out of his vehicle. The suspect saw that. Attempted to flee. Rammed the police vehicle and another vehicle,” said Seth Hoffman of the Howard County Police Department.
The officer’s car was disabled, but word went out immediately over the police radio.
A second officer spotted the suspect’s car at Oakland Mills Road and Snowden River Parkway and a pursuit ensued, but it would not go far.
“After a short pursuit, the vehicle ran a red light and hit another vehicle at an intersection,” said Hoffman. “There were three people in that vehicle that got hit that were sent to hospitals. Thankfully, all non-life threatening injuries.”
We’re told the impact of the crash ripped the engine from the victims’ car.
Paramedics transported the suspect to the Shock Trauma Center with serious injuries.
Charges are pending.
