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Wrong-Way Maryland Chase With Children Ends in Arrest, Assault Charges Filed

Non-lethal tactics ended the pursuit, securing three children.

Overview

  • Cory Thomas Burkhardt, 37, was arrested after a multi-jurisdictional pursuit that began around 4 p.m. Nov. 21 on U.S. Route 15 in Frederick County and continued into Montgomery County.
  • Deputies say he crossed the median to drive into oncoming lanes on Route 15 and I-270 and tried multiple times to ram patrol vehicles.
  • Officers deployed spike strips twice, and a deputy forced the fleeing car into a guardrail near the I-270 Clarksburg exit to stop it.
  • Two children, ages 8 and 12, exited the vehicle, while Burkhardt ran carrying a 2-year-old; officers used a Taser to secure the toddler, and Burkhardt allegedly attempted to disarm a deputy before being taken into custody.
  • Burkhardt was taken to Frederick Health Hospital for an emergency evaluation, briefly escaped and was quickly recaptured, and he remains in custody facing charges that include first- and second-degree assault, disarming an officer, eluding police, and traffic offenses; authorities report no serious injuries as the investigation continues.