Police officer ambushed in Hillcrest Heights

(Updated 18 Oct 2008)

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Prince George's County Cop Ambushed.
wusa9.com, 16 Oct 2008 (Hunsicker & Yamada).

HILLCREST HEIGHTS, Md. (WUSA) -- A Prince George's County police officer is in the hospital after a bizarre attack. The suspect's weapon was an SUV.

It happened late Wednesday afternoon along Anvil Lane in Hillcrest Heights. The female officer, a thirteen year veteran of the force was sitting in her marked police cruiser, when a man in an SUV rammed her vehicle repeatedly.

Neighbors near the scene on Anvil Lane in Hillcrest Heights heard the commotion that led to the mayday call. Detectives say the man in the SUV was relentless as he slammed into the front of the cruiser so many times, it was pushed onto a barrier.

Major Andy Ellis with the Prince George's County Police Department says, "the officer was helpless and fired several shots to get the vehicle off of her. She put out a distress call, officers arrived and placed the suspect under arrest."

Neighbor Kim Haney remarks, "she's just watching out for the neighborhood, watching out for the residents. we appreciate that, we're just sorry she got hurt."

Police are still trying to figure out if the officer was targeted or chosen at random. Police say the suspect was under the influence of a controlled substance."

"When you smoke, you do stuff you don't want to do," says one young man adding, that's the take home message for neighborhood kids.

"It's horrific, it saddens me," added another resident, a former officer who wonders if people are going after cops, is anyone safe? "We don't know why with this incident tonight. being a former police officer, it's something that you have to face everyday," she says.

The officer who was injured by glass fragments is expected to recover. The suspect who has minor injuries. Police say he wasn't hit by the gunfire.

Officer Fires as SUV Rams Cruiser, Police Say.
Post, 16 Oct 2008 (Silverman ).

A Prince George's County police officer fired several shots yesterday after the driver of a sport-utility vehicle repeatedly rammed her marked police cruiser at a Seat Pleasant [*] intersection.

The driver, whom police did not identify last night, was not injured. He was arrested, and charges are pending, said Cpl. Clinton Copeland, a department spokesman.

The officer, whose name police did not release, suffered minor injuries to her face in the incident, which began about 4:10 p.m. at Anvil and South Anvil lanes. The green SUV backed into the cruiser several times, pushing it into a barrier, Copeland said. Fearing for her safety, the officer fired through the cruiser's windshield, he said.

About 30 minutes later, another county police cruiser was hit by a BMW driven by one of four male suspects in a carjacking in the Seat Pleasant area, Copeland said. About 4:38 p.m., the suspects bailed out of the BMW near Addison Road and Central Avenue, and they were arrested later, police said. The BMW also hit a car, and its driver suffered minor injuries, Copeland said.

* Despite what the Post reported, the intersection of Anvil and South Anvil Lanes is actually in Hillcrest Heights, not far from the Southern Avenue Metro Station, and far from Seat Pleasant.

Officer Involved in Shooting on Anvil Lane Identified/Suspect Arrested.
Police, 17 Oct 2008 (Tippett).

. . . The Prince George’s County Police Department has identified the officer involved in a departmental shooting that occurred the evening of October 15th near Anvil Lane and South Anvil Lane as Corporal Tanya Brooks, a fourteen-year veteran. . . . the suspect, 36 year-old Leroy Turrentine Jr., of the 9200 block of Adelphi Road was driving a green Ford SUV and without warning, began intentionally ramming the officer’s cruiser.  The officer, pinned in by the suspect, discharged her departmental service weapon at the suspect.  The suspect was not struck by the officer’s gunfire but was quickly apprehended by officers responding to the scene. . . . [Full release ]