Office Of The Attorney General Launches Investigation Into Officer-Involved Shooting In White Marsh

WHITE MARSH - The Maryland Office of the Attorney General has announced an investigation into the police-involved shooting in White Marsh on Tuesday morning.

Additional information has been released detailing the circumstances surrounding the incident.

According to police, just before 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday, January 31, detectives with the Baltimore County Police Department’s Criminal Apprehension Support Team were surveilling a Kia SUV with two passengers in the 10700-block of Pulaski Highway in White Marsh. Police say they followed the car because the driver had multiple outstanding warrants.

The detectives performed a “vehicle block” to stop the SUV from fleeing and exited their police vehicle to apprehend the suspect. The suspect swerved to escape from the vehicle block, striking an unmarked police vehicle in the process.

Officials said that Detective J. Trenary discharged his firearm an undisclosed number of times, striking the driver of the Kia SUV. The SUV continued driving through the parking lot before crashing into an unrelated civilian vehicle.

The driver of the Kia SUV was shot in the upper body and suffered life-threatening injuries. He was transported to an area hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

A police spokesperson said Tuesday the man’s name would not be released until he is formally charged with a crime.

Police also arrested a female passenger in the Kia who has not been named.

No other individuals were injured.

Trenary, a 16-year veteran of the Baltimore County Police department, has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.

Baltimore County Police Department policy forbids officers from shooting at a moving vehicle, except “when the occupants of another moving vehicle are using or attempting to use deadly force against an officer, and the safety of innocent persons would not be jeopardized.”

The exact circumstances of the shooting may be challenging to determine. According to the Attorney General’s Office, Detectives within the Baltimore County Police Department’s Criminal Apprehension Support Team do not wear body-worn cameras, and the police vehicles involved in Tuesday’s incident were not equipped with dashboard cameras.