A gunman opened fire Monday on a D.C. police captain in Northwest, leaving the officer with injuries to his head and setting off a brief chase that ended in the Maryland suburbs with the arrest of two suspects.
Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said two men were taken into custody by Prince George’s County police in Landover soon after shots rang out in the 5800 block of 7th Street Northwest. Neither of the suspects was identified.
The police captain drove himself to the nearby 4th District station after being wounded around 12:10 p.m., according to police. He was then taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Chief Smith said the incident started when the police captain noticed a car driving erratically on 7th Street Northwest.
The captain, who Chief Smith said was heading to work in plain clothes, was driving his personal vehicle behind two men when their car suddenly pulled over.
“The suspects in the vehicle stopped the car very abruptly, got out of the car and fired on our officer,” Chief Smith said.
She didn’t say whether the captain was struck by gunfire or if he was injured by glass shards from his windshield.
The chief also didn’t say whether the men knew they were shooting at a police officer, or if the captain shot back at them.
Chief Smith did say that the captain wasn’t pursuing the two men at the time he was shot at. She warned that “it could’ve been anybody” who was caught in the crosshairs.
The captain radioed in the license plate, and authorities said a police helicopter tracked the fleeing vehicle into Maryland.
The men’s car rolled over and became immobilized during the pursuit, allowing Prince George’s County police to arrest them.
Chief Smith said the captain is an 18-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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