DUNDALK, Md. — Baltimore County officers were justified in shooting an armed robbery suspect who was killed during a police shootout that seriously injured an officer and a bystander in Dundalk, prosecutors said.
Baltimore County Deputy State’s Attorney Robbin S. Coffin said video footage from police and MTA cameras show officers took proper action during their June 7 confrontation with Blaine Robert Erb, 35, on June 7.
Officer 1st Class Slocum, a 13-year veteran assigned to Precinct 12 in Dundalk, was shot twice in a lower extremity during the confrontation. She has been released from the hospital, police said June 13.
Police said officers were called around 2:49 p.m. June 7 for an armed robbery in progress on Dundalk Avenue near Avon Beach Road. Officers received information that a man had robbed two people at gunpoint.
According to MTA bus video obtained by 11 News, Erb got on a bus — at Belclare Road and Dundalk Avenue near the Logan Village Shopping Center — in Dundalk at 2:53 p.m.
Just after that, two police officers stopped the bus and got on to talk to Erb and that’s when he pulled a gun and fired a shot at an officer standing at the rear exit. Erb then told everyone to get off the bus.
Erb is then seen in the video with two guns standing in the rear exit, firing in all directions. That goes on for about a minute and a half, at which point he stopped and reloaded.
At one point, he walked to the front of the bus and fired some shots and police fired back. Erb eventually made a run for it.
Meanwhile outside, a police body camera captured the tense moments. One officer switched from a shotgun to a pistol.
Erb went down on a nearby lawn. The officer runs closer, but Erb did not listen to police.
“Drop the gun. Drop the gun,” can be heard in the video.
Erb was killed, and the gun battle was over.
“I actually had to watch it a couple of times because I was a little bit in disbelief,” Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger said.
Shellenberger said after reviewing the case, which included social media video, police body-camera video and MTA video there is no doubt the police shooting were justified, and no further action would be taken.
“And when you look at all three of those, you get a very complete picture that these officers were justified in using deadly force because not only were their lives in danger, but the lives of many civilians in the area were in danger,” Shellenberger said.
My bad didn’t see it, quite the video huh.