Dawnta Anthony Harris, 16, evaded house arrest and struck everything in his wake earlier this week, according to the Associated Press. With his court-ordered ankle bracelet secured, he drove into Perry Hall, Md., in a Jeep stolen on Friday (May 18), then he hit and killed Baltimore County Police Officer Amy Caprio.
Harris, who a judge called a “one-man crime wave” was accompanied by three other teens. The suspects allegedly broke into a home as Harris sat in the car, acting as a lookout, according to Baltimore state attorney Scott Shellenberger. “They are in for everything that occurs as a result of that burglary,” Shellenberger said. Apparently, when he was meant to remain at the scene of the crime, Harris opted to drive around the county.
Caprio wore a body camera at the time of the incident. Authorities reported that the footage showed Harris increasing speed after she approached him. He drove the vehicle through the suburban community, just northeast of Baltimore. Caprio went to confront him at a dead end.
William Bickel, the prosecutor at the hearing said, “She fired her weapon. He ran over her.” The teenager was arrested after leaving the vehicle behind. In a probable cause statement, Harris noted that he “drove at the officer.” Charges are set to be announced on Wednesday (May 23), against Harris and the other teens, all aged between 15 and 17 years old. Harris is being charged as an adult.
A medical examiner said that Caprio died of trauma to the head and torso. Dawnta is being held without bail. The judge on the case, Judge Sally Chester, described Harris as a “one-man crime wave” to his public defender. The teen ran away from home on May 14, causing many officials to contact him but the fault of the bracelet, according to Shellinger, is that it couldn’t track his whereabouts.