On Sunday, April 16, 2023, at 9:13 a.m., officers responded to a church in the 5100 block of Leonardtown Road in Waldorf for the report of a man armed with a machete threatening parishioners and using racial epithets as parishioners were setting up for a service.
The victims, who were familiar with the man, were able to convince him to leave the church and go outside.
One of the parishioners called 9-1-1 and as officers arrived on the scene, one of the victims pointed toward a wooded area where officers observed the suspect.
Upon seeing the officers, the suspect fled into the woods. Sgt. J. Morales, Officer B. Aber, and Officer B. Weinmann, immediately pursued the suspect on foot, giving commands for the suspect to stop.
The suspect complied and was taken into custody without further incident. The suspect was armed with an 18 inch machete which was strapped across his chest.
The suspect, Kyle Michael Krawczyk, 25, of no fixed address, was charged with first-degree assault, racial – religious crimes against a group, reckless endangerment, and other related charges.
Krawcyzk has been detained since being taken into custody. He went before a district court commissioner on April 17 and was held without bond. Officer Karopchinsky is continuing to investigate
