Mark Travis Grove, 41, of Mechanicsville, has been charged with second-degree assault, while Bernard Wood Jr., 24, and Bernard Wood, 60, both of Lusby, have each been charged with malicious destruction of property valued at $1,000 or more after a May 31, 2026, dispute outside West Marine on HG Trueman Road in Solomons, according to the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office.
A deputy wrote that the Calvert County Control Center received two calls about disorderly conduct at the business. One caller reported that a man had tried to pepper spray his son and run him over with a vehicle. A second caller reported that he had gone into West Marine shortly before closing, that an employee cursed at him and threatened to beat him up, and that he pepper-sprayed another person who he said had blindsided him. The same caller said two men then began beating on the side of his truck.
When deputies arrived, they found Grove parked near the south side of the building by the car wash and two men near a blue Mazda. Grove told the deputy he had driven about 40 minutes to buy a part after calling ahead to confirm the store’s closing time. He said he was being helped by a female employee when Wood Jr. approached and said, “We don’t got that, we don’t know how to do that.”
Grove told deputies he responded, “Just chill out second. Let the girl do her job, the girl was handling me.” He said Wood Jr. replied, “I’m the f##king manager here, get the f##ck out of my store.” Grove said he then responded, “Really? Well, you ain’t no manager because managers don’t treat people like this, so this will probably be your last day on the job.”
According to the filings, Grove said he tried to leave without buying the part because he could not get the “hub kit” he needed. He alleged Wood Jr. told him, “I ought to f##king kick your ass for wasting our f##king time,” and blocked the exit. Grove said he asked Wood Jr. to move, and after Wood Jr. stepped aside, Grove left the store.
Once outside, Grove said Wood Jr. followed him and appeared ready to “square up.” Grove told the deputy that he then saw Wood approaching from another direction and believed the two men were “bumrushing him.” Grove said he pulled out O.C. spray to get out of “the danger zone,” but described the spray as “basically dud.” He added, “It was f##ked up man because I wish they would have ate it,” and said the can produced only a “puff,” enough for the two men to step back so he could get into his truck.
The deputy reported seeing several dents on the driver’s side of Grove’s maroon GMC Sierra, including damage near the rear driver’s side door window and the rear driver’s side truck bed panel. The deputy wrote that the damage appeared to have been caused by human hands because fingerprints were visible in the damaged areas. Grove estimated the damage at $20,000 to $30,000.
A witness told deputies he had been sitting in his vehicle in front of West Marine eating Roy Rogers when he saw “the dude blocking the door.” The witness described the person as “the black dude, the one that works there,” and demonstrated the stance he said he observed. He said he later heard Wood Jr. yelling, “I’ll beat your f##king ass,” at Grove. The witness said Grove reached for spray after both men approached him, but the spray was ineffective, stating, “It came out like piss.” He told deputies Wood and Wood Jr. continued beating on the truck after Grove got inside and began to pull away.
Wood told deputies he had been sitting in his vehicle waiting to pick up his son from work when he saw Grove inside the store and heard Grove call his son “a fat b##ch.” Wood said Grove got a can of pepper spray from his truck and sprayed Wood Jr. in the face, then threw the can on the ground, made a U-turn while squealing his tires, and nearly struck both Wood and Wood Jr. Wood admitted banging on Grove’s truck window and asking, “What are you doing?”
Wood Jr. told deputies that he and a co-worker were helping Grove with a propeller hub when he informed Grove the store did not carry the item and was closed. Wood Jr. said Grove began calling him “Fat f##ker” and “B##ch ni##a.” Wood Jr. acknowledged becoming aggressive and following Grove outside, saying, “What the f##k do you want to do.” He told deputies Grove then sprayed him in the face with pepper spray, causing his glasses to fall off, and denied blocking the doorway.
Wood Jr. later pointed out an old banana peel on the sidewalk and claimed it was connected to prior racial antagonism, according to the deputy. He initially refused medical attention twice but later requested EMS about 25 minutes into the call. EMS responded and provided an eye wash. Wood Jr. also said he was wearing sunglasses when he was sprayed.
The deputy wrote that West Marine did not have interior or exterior camera footage. Deputies reviewed footage from an adjacent liquor store camera, but it did not capture the incident. The deputy also examined the O.C. spray can after everyone left the scene and described it as very old, missing its label, empty and nonfunctional. The canister was collected as evidence.
Summonses were issued for all three men on June 1, 2026. Grove is scheduled for a preliminary inquiry on July 13, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. in Calvert District Court. Bernard Wood Jr. and Bernard Wood are scheduled for trial on August 19, 2026, at 1 p.m. in Calvert District Court.
