Suspect leads Maryland officers on highway chase in stolen 5-ton military vehicle

A man stole a military vehicle from a residential neighborhood in a Maryland town Friday night, and then led officers on a lengthy highway pursuit before finally being captured in Baltimore, authorities said.

The Harford County Sheriff’s Office reports that deputies were called to a home in the town of Bel Air a little after 6:30 p.m. local time Friday on a report that a privately-owned 1986 923-A five-ton military vehicle had been stolen.

The truck was then spotted on a Bel Air road, and when the driver, later identified as 38-year-old Michael D. Stevens II, refused to pull over, a multi-agency pursuit ensued, the sheriff’s office said, with the suspect making his way south onto Interstate-95.

Officers made several unsuccessful attempts to stop the vehicle using spike strips, the sheriff’s office said, before the suspect eventually made his way into Baltimore, which is located about 25 miles southwest of Bel Air.

He finally brought the vehicle stop and tried to run away, but was captured by deputies, the sheriff’s office disclosed.

During the pursuit, Stevens crashed into several other vehicles, but no one was injured during the ordeal, the sheriff’s office said. 

Stevens had been released from the Hartford County Detention Center just prior to stealing the vehicle, the sheriff’s office confirmed. He was re-booked into the detention center on one count of motor vehicle theft, and two counts each of first-degree and second-degree assault, along with one count of failing to obey a lawful order.

The details of his initial arrest and release were unclear. There was also no word on the circumstances that led up to the theft of the vehicle. 

Maryland State Police, Baltimore police, Baltimore County police and Bel Air police all assisted during the incident.