State’s attorney declines to charge Baltimore Police officers whose pursuit preceded deadly crash
Dillon Mullan
The Baltimore Sun
February 19, 2024
The Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office will not charge two Baltimore Police officers who were pursuing a suspect’s car when the driver crashed and killed a passenger last March.
Body camera footage shows two officers pursued Daniel Moss, 58, for nearly 10 minutes March 25 after he fled an attempted traffic stop until he crashed into a parked car and then a tree in Roland Park.
According to a report released by the state attorney’s office, officers Bradley Roberson and Menachem Rosenbloom pursued a Chevrolet Cruze with a license plate connected to an armed robbery in Carroll County the day before starting in the 1000 block of West North Avenue around 11:50 a.m. Around 11:58 a.m., Maj. Jeffrey Featherstone told the officers to “Back off, ease off,” but the officers continued to follow the suspect until the car crashed into a parked car and then a tree in the 5000 block of Roland Avenue, about 6 miles away.
Linda Moss, 74, of Westminster, and the wife of Daniel Moss, was riding in the passenger seat and was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Officer Roberson did not lose control of his vehicle nor directly endangered the life of any pedestrian or civilian motorist; thus, it is highly unlikely that “]Roberson’s driving was grossly negligent and caused the death of Mrs. Moss,” the state’s attorney said in the report.
In an interview, Daniel Moss told investigators he and the officers didn’t stop at stop signs or red lights during the pursuit, and after the crash the officers “beat me at the car and beat the [expletive] out of me.”
“We were actually backed off kind of,” Rosenbloom told investigators according to the report. “We were backing off and slowed; we turned off our sirens [inaudible], then he crashed. We had slowed down a little bit because the Major got on the air.”
Moss has a hearing scheduled next month on armed robbery charges in Carroll County, according to court records.
Baltimore Police policies prohibit officers from chasing fleeing vehicles in cases where the initial violation is a “crime against property,” including auto theft, but officers can chase if there is a felony suspect inside who poses an “immediate threat” of death or injury.
“The evidence clearly shows that officers were lawfully pursuing the involved vehicle. Although “]Roberson operated the patrol vehicle at high rates of speed, the officer did so in compliance with [state law], as well as Baltimore Police Department policies and procedures,” the state’s attorney’s office said in the report. “Major Featherstone called off the chase; however, the evidence showed the Cruze crashed within seconds of that call.”