‘Danger to the community’: Judge orders Maryland teen charged with mowing down officer held
Jack Moore | jmoore@wtop.com Heather Gustafson | heather.gustafson@wtop.com
October 19, 2023, 8:40 PM
The 19-year-old Maryland man accused of
intentionally striking a Montgomery County police officer on Interstate 270 early Wednesday has an extensive history of trying to “bait” officers into high-speed chases — and it appears he doesn’t even have a license, prosecutors said.
Raphael Mayorga, of Frederick, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and several other charges in the crash that critically wounded Sgt. Patrick Kepp, 36. ... In his first appearance Thursday in Rockville District Court, Mayorga was ordered held without bond by Associate Judge Zuberi Williams, who called the teen “a danger to the community” after hearing from prosecutors about the string of alleged prior reckless driving incidents. A preliminary hearing has been set for Nov. 17.
A history of baiting officers
Mayorga has a long list of arrests and charges that range from speeding to aggressive and reckless driving, according to authorities. ... Prosecutors told the judge that on four separate occasions between April and June of this year, Mayorga is accused of “baiting police officers” to chase him, and that he and his green Dodge Challenger were so well-known to police that officers had Mayorga’s phone number and would often call him during such chases to tell him to stop.
In one of those incidents on May 26, Kepp — the same officer who was struck Wednesday — attempted to pull Mayorga over for going 136 mph in a 55 mph zone in an apparent street race with another driver, according to court documents. ... Kepp had also tried to pull Mayorga over in April 2021. Court documents said Mayorga, then still a juvenile, fled a traffic stop initiated by Kepp and crashed into another person, causing injury. In that case, Mayorga’s charges were referred to juvenile court, according to court documents. {snip} Mayorga’s attorney with the Montgomery County office of the public defender had asked the judge to release him on 24-hour house arrest, saying he lives at home with his parents in Frederick. But the judge said, “I don’t think it’s going to keep the community safe.”
Jack Moore
Jack Moore joined WTOP.com as a digital writer/editor in July 2016. Previous to his current role, he covered federal government management and technology as the news editor at Nextgov.com, part of Government Executive Media Group.
jmoore@wtop.com
Heather Gustafson
Heather Gustafson is a Freelance Anchor/Reporter for WTOP, a DMV native and an Emmy award-winning journalist lauded for her 2020 Black Lives Matter protests coverage.
heather.gustafson@wtop.com
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