A county police sergeant has lost use of his legs after he was intentionally struck by a driver, the police chief said.
Sgt. Patrick Kepp. Via MCPD.
Sgt. Patrick Kepp remains in critical condition, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) Chief Marcus Jones said Wednesday afternoon. Frederick Raphael Mayorga, 19, of Frederick, Maryland faces charges including attempted first-degree murder.
Mayorga’s bond hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Jones said.
A previous press release stated Kepp was struck while trying to stop a driver suspected of being under the influence at about 3:48 a.m. Wednesday on northbound I-270 near Watkins Mill. Kepp was struck while outside of his patrol car trying to use stop sticks to stop Mayorga, according to police.
Mayorga is known to “provoke” officers into chasing him, particularly on major roadways, Jones said Wednesday afternoon. He is known to the police department from several past incidents.
Police Chief says sergeant who was struck this morning has lost use of both his legs. @mymcmedia pic.twitter.com/UPS4yX8Bdc
— Maryam Shahzad (@maryam_mcm) October 18, 2023
Just before Kepp was struck, officers in Germantown were monitoring a Dodge Challenger being recklessly driven at high speed starting at the Clarksburg Outlets, Jones said. The vehicle was clocked at more than 110 mph going down I-270.
Jones said Kepp knows Mayorga and arrested him in May for several traffic citations. They included one for driving 136 mph in a 55 mph zone on I-270. In April, Mayorga was charged with several traffic violations for speeding and reckless driving in Gaithersburg.
On Wednesday morning, although Mayorga was provoking police, officers did not pursue him, Jones said. They set up along I-270 from Clarksburg down through Rockville. From those vantage points the police observed the vehicle speeding, exiting and re-entering the highway numerous times in both north and southbound directions.
A decision to pull Mayorga over was made after a driver was almost run off of I-270. Kepp and the duty commander decided to put out stop sticks.
Mayorga intentionally moved from the middle lanes to the far-left lanes and came directly at Kepp as he was deploying stop sticks, Jones said.
“He intentionally struck Sergeant Kepp in the main lanes of I-270,” Jones said.
Another officer used stop sticks to disable the vehicle, and Mayorga was apprehended near Clarksburg Road. Officers administered life-saving efforts to sustain Kepp while fire rescue was on the way.
“Unfortunately, Sergeant Kepp has lost the use of both of his legs,” Jones said.
County Executive Marc Elrich said this should not be treated as a regular traffic incident and “we should talk to our legislators about a way of criminalizing this in a different way.”
“This is different than somebody just speeding. This is somebody who is speeding with the intention of trying to provoke a high-speed chase, putting other people at risk,” Elrich said.
At the hospital Kepp is surrounded by family, friends and coworkers, Jones said.
The police chief said the situation has taken a toll on the police department. The peer support team has been reaching out to officers and their families to provide assistance.
