Montgomery Co. officer loses use of legs after being 'intentionally' struck on I-270, police chief says

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Montgomery Co. officer loses use of legs after being ‘intentionally’ struck on I-270, police chief says

Jessica Kronzer | [e-mail]
Valerie Bonk | [e-mail]

October 18, 2023, 2:50 AM



Montgomery County Police Sgt. Patrick Kepp was attempting to stop a suspected drunk driver when he was struck, police said. (Courtesy Montgomery County police/WTOP)

A Montgomery County police officer has lost the use of his legs after the police chief says he was “intentionally” stuck by a teen driver who was reportedly trying to “provoke” officers into a chase on Interstate 270 early Wednesday morning. ... The driver, 19-year-old Raphael Mayorga, of Frederick, is being charged with attempted first-degree murder in addition to other charges, Chief Marcus Jones said at an afternoon news conference. ... Sgt. Patrick Kepp, 36, remains in “critical condition,” and has “lost the use of both of his legs,” Jones said.

Mayorga was speeding on the interstate early Wednesday while getting on and off both directions of the roadway from Clarksville through Rockville, police said. This is a tactic that Jones said Mayorga has used in the past to “provoke officers into chasing him” on roadways in the county. ... “He does this intentionally to bait officers into chasing him as if this is some sort of a video game,” Jones said.

At one point Mayorga’s Dodge Challenger drove at more than 110 mph, Jones said. ... Officers decided to intervene after Mayorga almost ran another driver off the road, Jones said. ... Kepp parked his cruiser on the crossover of the interstate, just north of Watkins Mill Road, and got out to deploy “stop sticks” to deflate the tires of the Dodge Challenger at around 4 a.m., police said.

“The vehicle is observed actually intentionally moving from the middle lanes to the far left lanes and Mayorga came directly at Sgt. Kepp as he was deploying the ‘stop sticks,'” Jones said. “He intentionally struck Sgt. Kepp in the main lanes of I-270.” ... The Dodge Challenger then kept driving and was stopped further down the road on I-270, where Sgt. Andre Smith had deployed a second set of stop sticks.

{snip}

Jessica Kronzer
Jessica Kronzer graduated from James Madison University in May 2021 after studying media and politics. She enjoys covering politics, advocacy and compelling human-interest stories.

[e-mail]
@kronzer_news

Valerie Bonk
Valerie Bonk started working at WTOP in 2016 and has lived in Howard County, Maryland, her entire life. She's thrilled to be a reporter for WTOP telling stories on air. She works as both a television and radio reporter in the Maryland and D.C. areas.

[e-mail]
@ValerieBonk

[exboyfil]

1. He gets to grow old in prison

[SouthernDem4ever]

2. Very old, I hope.

[elleng]

3. DAMN!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Mug shot shows teen driver accused of intentionally striking Montgomery County officer on I-270

I did my share of really, really, really stupid stuff when I was around that age, but nothing I did compares to this.

Mug shot shows teen driver accused of intentionally striking Montgomery County officer on I-270

By Melanie Alnwick | Published October 19, 2023 8:21AM | Updated 12:12PM | News | FOX 5 DC |

GERMANTOWN, Md. - Authorities have released the mug shot of Frederick Raphael Mayorga, the 19-year-old man who was arrested after they say he intentionally struck an officer along a Maryland highway while trying to provoke police into chasing him.

Officers arrested Mayorga Wednesday morning after he barreled into Sgt. Patrick Kepp along the northbound lanes of Interstate 270 near Watkins Mill in Germantown. ... Kepp was left partially paralyzed losing use of both his legs. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition Wednesday but was able to speak and had visitors.

{snip}



Frederick Raphael Mayorga (Montgomery County Police Department)

Police say they began monitoring Mayorga hours earlier that morning as he drove a green Dodge Challenger in the Clarksburg area. ... Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones said Mayorga has been known to provoke officers into chasing him, but officers did not pursue the vehicle Wednesday. Instead, they set up along I-270 in an effort to stop his vehicle.

Jones said Mayorga was seen driving recklessly, swerving and driving at speeds up to 110 mph. After he nearly ran another car off of the road, police made the decision to deploy stop sticks. ... Jones told FOX 5 that Kepp parked his patrol car on the side of the northbound lanes and got out to lay down stop sticks. As Mayorga came up the highway and saw Kepp, he intentionally drove toward his patrol car, Jones said. ... After striking Kepp, Mayorga continued speeding down the highway until his vehicle was disabled by stop sticks laid out by another officer. {snip} Mayorga's bond hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

{snip}

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. 'Danger to the community': Judge orders Maryland teen charged with mowing down officer held

‘Danger to the community’: Judge orders Maryland teen charged with mowing down officer held

Jack Moore | [e-mail] Heather Gustafson | [e-mail]
October 19, 2023, 8:40 PM

The 19-year-old Maryland man accused of intentionally striking a Montgomery County police officer on Interstate 270 early Wednesday has an extensive history of trying to “bait” officers into high-speed chases — and it appears he doesn’t even have a license, prosecutors said.

Raphael Mayorga, of Frederick, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and several other charges in the crash that critically wounded Sgt. Patrick Kepp, 36. ... In his first appearance Thursday in Rockville District Court, Mayorga was ordered held without bond by Associate Judge Zuberi Williams, who called the teen “a danger to the community” after hearing from prosecutors about the string of alleged prior reckless driving incidents. A preliminary hearing has been set for Nov. 17.

A history of baiting officers

Mayorga has a long list of arrests and charges that range from speeding to aggressive and reckless driving, according to authorities. ... Prosecutors told the judge that on four separate occasions between April and June of this year, Mayorga is accused of “baiting police officers” to chase him, and that he and his green Dodge Challenger were so well-known to police that officers had Mayorga’s phone number and would often call him during such chases to tell him to stop.

In one of those incidents on May 26, Kepp — the same officer who was struck Wednesday — attempted to pull Mayorga over for going 136 mph in a 55 mph zone in an apparent street race with another driver, according to court documents. ... Kepp had also tried to pull Mayorga over in April 2021. Court documents said Mayorga, then still a juvenile, fled a traffic stop initiated by Kepp and crashed into another person, causing injury. In that case, Mayorga’s charges were referred to juvenile court, according to court documents. {snip} Mayorga’s attorney with the Montgomery County office of the public defender had asked the judge to release him on 24-hour house arrest, saying he lives at home with his parents in Frederick. But the judge said, “I don’t think it’s going to keep the community safe.”

Jack Moore
Jack Moore joined WTOP.com as a digital writer/editor in July 2016. Previous to his current role, he covered federal government management and technology as the news editor at Nextgov.com, part of Government Executive Media Group.
[e-mail]

Heather Gustafson
Heather Gustafson is a Freelance Anchor/Reporter for WTOP, a DMV native and an Emmy award-winning journalist lauded for her 2020 Black Lives Matter protests coverage.
[e-mail]