Man Charged With Assault After Ramming Trooper During Traffic Stop In Cecil County

RISING SUN, MD — A Cecil County man is under arrest and facing multiple criminal charges and more than two dozen traffic charges after he rammed his vehicle into an occupied Maryland State Police patrol vehicle this morning during a traffic stop.

The accused is identified as James A. Knox Jr., 22, of Colora, Md. He is charged with first degree assault, second degree assault, possession of heroin, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, three counts of malicious destruction of property, resisting arrest, obstructing/hindering arrest, disorderly conduct and 29 traffic charges. He will be taken before a Cecil County District Court commissioner for a bond hearing.

Shortly after 9:00 a.m. today, a Maryland State Police sergeant from the North East Barrack, who was in uniform and a marked patrol vehicle, was working a special aggressive driving enforcement initiative on the Jacob Tome Highway south of Rising Sun. The sergeant saw the driver of a northbound GMC pickup truck who was not wearing a seat belt. After getting behind the pickup, the sergeant noted it was swerving in the lane and had multiple safety violations. The truck made an abrupt turn into a business in the 500-block of Rising Sun Road and the trooper stopped behind it. The driver failed to identify himself with a driver’s license and provided the sergeant a name. The sergeant asked the driver to turn his truck off, which he did. The sergeant returned to his patrol vehicle to run a check on the information provided by the driver.

While the sergeant was in his patrol vehicle, the accused re-started his truck and immediately accelerated backwards, ramming twice into the front of the State Police vehicle. The suspect then drove away and fled from the traffic stop.

The sergeant pursued the suspect vehicle and, after driving through two yards, ultimately crashed into a utility pole on Nesbit Road off Harrisville Road. Knox, who was the sole occupant of the truck, fled from the vehicle on foot and the sergeant ran after him. After a foot pursuit over multiple fences and ignoring multiple commands to stop, Knox was apprehended by the sergeant and placed under arrest. Wires that became dislodged from the utility pole ignited the pickup on fire and it was destroyed.

Further investigation determined Knox had initially provided the sergeant a fictitious name. He was subsequently identified as Knox and it was determined has a suspended driver’s license. He also is wanted by Delaware State Police on an open warrant for felony theft.

The sergeant was not injured in the incident. The investigation is continuing.