Frederick County authorities make an arrest
On Friday, law enforcement in Frederick County arrested a man following a multi-county pursuit. The suspect, who had children in the car, is accused of attempting to ram police vehicles among other charges.
The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office initiated the chase of 37-year-old Cory Thomas Burkhardt around 4 p.m. when he crossed the median on U.S. Route 15 and began driving southbound in the northbound lanes. At the time, Mr. Burkhardt had a 12-year-old, an 8-year-old, and a 2-year-old with him.
According to the sheriff’s office, Mr. Burkhardt continued to evade capture while attempting to strike police cars and deputies. He managed to avoid two spike strip attempts while driving against traffic before entering Maryland Interstate 270 and crossing into Montgomery County.
A deputy from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office successfully used their vehicle to force Mr. Burkhardt’s car into a guardrail near the Clarksburg exit on I-270, bringing the pursuit to an end. Initially refusing to exit his vehicle, Mr. Burkhardt eventually complied when deputies displayed non-lethal weapons; however, he exited carrying the 2-year-old and attempted to flee on foot.
Deputies deployed a Taser to subdue Mr. Burkhardt and retrieve the child safely, but he continued resisting arrest and attempted to grab a deputy’s weapon. After employing additional non-lethal methods, law enforcement took him into custody and transported him for an emergency evaluation at a Frederick hospital.
While deputies were preparing charges at the hospital, Mr. Burkhardt fled on foot but was apprehended again shortly thereafter.
The authorities charged Mr. Burkhardt with several offenses including two counts of first-degree assault, four counts of second-degree assault, evading police officers, negligent driving, reckless driving, disarming a law enforcement officer, willfully disobeying lawful orders from police officers, and failing to secure a child under two years old in an appropriate car seat.
The sheriff’s office did not clarify whether Mr. Burkhardt remained hospitalized or had been transferred elsewhere as of Saturday’s release.
