March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 47 F

After van rams parking shuttle at BWI, high speed ensues and ends at Naval Academy

Maryland State Police arrested a man suspected of ramming an airport shuttle bus with his vehicle and leading troopers on a pursuit early Friday morning in Anne Arundel County.

Shortly after 2:45 a.m., troopers from the Glen Burnie barrack responded to a call from a passenger that a shuttle bus was being rammed by a van driven by a man who was also suspected of waving a hand gun at the vehicle in the area I-295 South at West Nursery Road. Troopers from the Glen Burnie barrack located the vehicle in the area of I-295 South at I-195 East near Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

According to a preliminary report, the shuttle van stopped at the airport and the van continued forward. The van got onto southbound I-97 reaching speeds of approximately 115-120 mph. Troopers from Annapolis Barrack were also dispatched to assist with this incident.

A trooper from the Annapolis Barrack positioned in the area of southbound I-97 and Farm Road successfully deployed stop sticks puncturing the right front tire of the van. The van continued along I-97, still reaching speeds of approximately 60 mph. The van then continued to eastbound Route 50 before exiting onto Rowe Boulevard in Annapolis. The pursuit continued throughout the city of Annapolis stopping at a dead end road on the grounds of the Naval Academy. At that time, troopers from the Glen Burnie and Annapolis barracks conducted a felony stop on the vehicle. The suspect, Pete Sommerfeldt, 48, of Nottingham, Md. was placed into custody without incident.

Troopers from the Annapolis and Glen Burnie barracks checked the areas of the highway where Sommerfeldt may have thrown out the handgun, but nothing has been located at this time. Sommerfeldt was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center, where he is undergoing an examination. Multiple traffic and criminal charges are pending his release from the hospital. There were no injuries reported as a result of this incident.

The incident remains under investigation.

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