Law enforcement disable car thief’s vehicle on Vienna Bridge

Fruitland police say early this morning, new technology helped them disable a violent carjacker’s vehicle on the Vienna Bridge without any injuries.

Dorchester County Sheriff James Phillips Jr. said that “when we disabled the car on the bridge, the suspect basically had nowhere to go, so he either had to give up or he’s going swimming.”

Sheriff Phillips credits Fruitland Police’s quick thinking for bringing a multi-county search to an end Thursday morning, a search that all started with a violent assault Wednesday night. Captain Daniel Holland commented on the matter.

“The victim advised that her boyfriend forcibly removed her from her vehicle and repeatedly assaulted her before stealing her vehicle,” Holland said.

Fruitland Police say the suspect, Lamar Ramcharan Collier, fled the scene and it wasn’t until Thursday morning that they picked up on the trail.

“Officer Rollins was able to utilize OnStar and with the assistance of the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office and Maryland State Police, they were all able to locate the location of that vehicle,” Holland said. “OnStar was able to notify Fruitland Police once the vehicle was mobile.”

Once OnStar disabled the car in Vienna, law enforcement were able to take the suspect into custody. Thanks to this technology, officers were able to avoid a high-speed chase. Captain Holland says that officer safety and civilian safety is the number one concern when apprehending a suspect. 

“That is something that we always keep in mind, especially when you have a subject that has committed an assault and possibly possesses a weapon.”

Sheriff Phillips says this is the perfect example of using technology and coordination between law enforcement agencies to get a suspect into custody safely.

“It was a great cooperative effort. One of the best I’ve ever seen in over 40 years of law enforcement.”