ELKRIDGE, Md. (AP) - A Maryland State Trooper shot and killed a suspect accused of dragging the officer more than 2,000 feet (610 meters) down an interstate while attempting to escape a traffic stop early Friday, the agency said.
The trooper spotted the motorist weaving across multiple lanes of traffic on the highway in Howard County around 2 a.m. and pulled him over on suspicion of drunk driving, State Police said in a statement.
The trooper, joined by another officer, approached the driver, who refused to get out of the car.
The troopers reported seeing multiple alcohol containers inside the vehicle and a machete under the driver’s seat, investigators said.
The driver accelerated when a trooper reached in to remove the keys from the ignition and dragged the officer down the road, officials said. The trooper was able to pull out his gun, and shot the driver after he refused to stop, according to the statement.
The trooper was thrown into a median and was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
Howard County emergency medical services pronounced the driver dead at the scene, State Police said.
None of the people involved were immediately identified.
Both troopers were placed on administrative leave pending an internal affairs investigation.
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