TEMPLE HILLS, Md. — A man is facing charges after attempting to carjack a Prince George's County Police officer Thursday.
The incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. in the 3200 block of Curtis Drive in Temple Hills, Maryland. A plain-clothes PGPD detective was on patrol in the Hillcrest Heights neighborhood when a Honda pulled up and blocked the detective's vehicle.
Three people were inside the Honda but only one man got out. Police claim the man walked up to the detective's car and began pulling on the door handles, opening a backseat door.
When the detectives announced themselves as police officers, the suspect tried to run away but was quickly taken into custody.
The suspect has been identified as 26-year-old Tyreik Cooper of Oxon Hill. He has been charged with attempted kidnapping.
The Prince George's County Police Department cannot confirm what the detective was patrolling for at the time of the incident.
So far this year, the department has reported 234 carjackings, which is a 10% increase over 2022's numbers; in that same period last year there had been 213 carjackings. More than 4,000 cars have also been stolen in Prince George's County in 2023, a 185% increase from 2022. Overall, robberies are up 12% in the county this year, with violent crimes like murder and assault also seeing increases.
The only categories of crime on the decline in 2023 in Prince George's County are sex offenses (down 24%) and domestic violence (down 3%).
