Police Involved In Pursuit, Shooting Late Sunday In Gaithersburg

Montgomery County police shot a suspect during a traffic stop Sunday night at the intersection of Quince Orchard Road and Darnestown Road and engaged in a brief pursuit immediately after, according to a news release.

Montgomery County police received a tip from the Howard County Police Department that a suspect involved in a domestic violence incident in that county may have possibly been at an address on Quince Orchard Road, Montgomery County police said.

Howard police warned that the suspect may have a firearm and was driving a Ford Explorer, police said.

Montgomery County police responded to a residence in the 14000 block of Quince Orchard Road where they observed a male enter a Ford Explorer and leave the residence, police said.

Officers initiated a traffic stop with the vehicle at 11:49 p.m. at the intersection of Quince Orchard Road and Darnestown Road where they noticed a shotgun in the vehicle, police said. During the traffic stop exchange between officers and the suspect, an officer fired his handgun at the suspect, striking him in the arm and leg, police said.

The suspect continued to flee in his vehicle along Quince Orchard Road, police said. After crashing into a car stopped at a red light at Quince Orchard Road and Great Seneca Highway, the suspect was taken into custody.

The suspect was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The adult female driver of the vehicle was not harmed, police said.

The circumstances around the shooting remain under investigation and police are yet to identify the suspect.

The officer involved in the shooting, a 19-year veteran of Montgomery County police, has been placed on paid, administrative leave (as is standard procedure) pending the outcome of the investigation, police said.