CAPE ST CLAIRE, Md. — An armed suspect believed to be 14 or 15 years old is on the run after an encounter with police in Cape St. Clair Monday morning, Lt. Jacklyn Davis of the Anne Arundel County Police Department said.
Officers were called to the area of Hilltop Road and Blue Ridge Drive after reports of an armed suspect. Davis said a witness told police that she was walking through the woods when she saw a white teen armed with a handgun. The witness said she asked the boy if he was a student, and he told her he was shooting small critters, Davis said. The woman immediately called 9-1-1 and officers were able to saturate the area.
When police arrived at the scene, one of the officers at the scene heard a "pop" sound and subsequently, the back windshield of the police cruiser he was in shattered, Davis said at a news conference Monday afternoon.
Police are trying to determine if a shot was fired at the officer's vehicle. They are also trying to determine if the suspect intended to shoot at officers or if there was a technical issue with the back windshield, causing it to coincidentally shatter, officials said.
"We are not comfortable to say this vehicle was shot and we are not comfortable enough to say it was shot at," Davis said.
There are no reported injuries.
As of 11:20 a.m., the suspect still remains on the loose. Detectives believe they know where the armed teen is and said there was no threat to the public. Police are asking community members to stay vigilant and to use caution, but lifted a previous shelter in place order.
At this time, police have not released the identification of the armed teen in this case.
Two Anne Arundel County Public Schools near the scene, Broadneck High School and Cape St. Claire Elementary School, were in lockout protocol.
This story is developing. WUSA9 will continue to provide the latest update as information becomes available.