UPDATE: Trooper First Class Joseph Rutkoski, from the Maryland State Police Leonardtown Barrack, ticketed Christopher Tyler, 30, of Lexington Park, for the following:
- driving a motor vehicle without required license and authorization
- driving a motor vehicle on a highway or public use property on a suspended out-of-state license
- negligent driving a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner and endangering property, life, and person
- changing lanes when unsafe
- failure to use a turn signal prior to a turn
- stopping a vehicle in an intersection
In November of 2018, Tyler was cited in St. Mary’s County for driving a motor vehicle on a highway or public use property on a suspended out-of-state license.
While on Great Mills Road a male in a Hyundai Sonata pulled alongside the firetruck and started yelling out his window to firefighters about the speed he perceived their truck was traveling at. The driver of the Sonata pulled in front of the fire truck and slammed on his brakes, he then came to a complete stop in the middle of the road, stopping the firetruck. The firefighters contacted dispatchers about the incident and asked for police to respond to the area.
The firetruck followed the Sonata into the parking lot of the St. Mary’s Square to provide dispatches an updated location for police.
A Trooper from the Maryland State Police Leonardtown Barrack responded to the location of the vehicle that was parked and unoccupied in front of the Weis Market and waited for the driver to return to the vehicle.
When the driver came out of the store approximately 25 minutes later he saw the trooper and walked over to him and asked directions to Tulagi Place, and asked if it was in walking distance. The Trooper then asked the driver why he didn’t just drive the Sonata to Tulagi Place. The driver of the Sonata said it wasn’t his car and denied driving it. The Sonata was not owned by the driver, but he had been pulled over in it before by police. The driver of the Sonata was also suspended at the time of the incident.
The firetrucks video card was in a locked digital video recorder and could not be reviewed by police at St. Mary’s Square.
At the time of the road rage incident, the Sonata had an infant in the backseat.
The weight of the firetruck is estimated at over 45,000 lbs.
The Maryland State Police are still investigating the incident and updates will be provided as they become available.
