High speed chase in stolen vehicle leads to arrest of Salisbury man in Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, Md. – Ocean City Police arrested a Salisbury man Tuesday evening following a high speed chase in a stolen vehicle.

We’re told police received a License Plate Reader alert indicating that a vehicle reported stolen by the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office was driving into Ocean City on the Route 50 Bridge. Officers were able to quickly locate the vehicle and tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver reportedly accelerated rapidly, crossing into oncoming traffic on Baltimore Avenue. The driver continued driving recklessly, traveling the wrong way on multiple streets at high speeds before pulling into a condo parking lot and hitting an unoccupied parked car and a fence, causing significant damage.

The driver, later identified as 38-year-old Jamie Ruark, then got out of the vehicle and fled on foot into a nearby condo building, hiding in an exterior stairwell. Officers were able to set up a perimeter and utilize a Forward-Looking Infrared equipped drone, which led them to locate Ruark. Officers also reportedly saw Ruark discard an item off the 4th floor stairwell, which was later discovered to be drug paraphernalia.

Police say Ruark eventually surrendered to officers, and no injuries were reported.

Ruark is being held without bail on multiple charges, including unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, possession of controlled dangerous substance paraphernalia, trespassing, theft between $1500 and $25,000, and numerous traffic offenses.