Maryland AG: Officer will not be charged in fatal Eldersburg crash that followed police pursuit

Kiersten Hacker

The Baltimore Sun

August 6, 2024

Attorney General Anthony Brown will not seek charges in a police pursuit that preceded a fatality April 20 in Eldersburg, he said in a news release Tuesday.

Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputy 1st Class Kyle Hessler was patrolling the Liberty Road and Ridge Road area at around 11:30 p.m. that day when he saw a car traveling east at a high speed on Liberty Road, according to the release. He turned on his lights and sirens to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver fled.

Hessler turned off his lights and sirens when he lost sight of the car, and a moment later, found that the driver, Jamall Steele, had crossed over the double yellow lines into the westbound lanes and hit an SUV head-on. Kayla Rodriguez-Garcia, the driver of the SUV, was declared dead at the scene. The passenger of the SUV and Steele were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the release said.

Steele was indicted on 17 counts, including automobile manslaughter, DUI homicide and motor vehicle theft, in June.

The Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division, which investigates fatal encounters with police in Maryland, began its investigation in April and released body-worn and dashboard camera footage of the police pursuit in May. The investigation concluded July 29, according to the release.

It was found that Hessler did not commit a crime under Maryland law, according to the release, and he will not be prosecuted.