Baltimore Police identify man who allegedly stole police car, jumped into Inner Harbor
Baltimore Police have identified the man who officials say briefly stole a patrol cruiser and jumped into the Inner Harbor seeking to evade arrest over the weekend.
Andre Kirby, 41, is being held without bail following the wild sequence of events that played out Saturday night in South Baltimore. Records show he had been freed from a 15-year federal prison sentence four months ago.
Officer Curtis Boggess wrote in charging documents that he was following a Dodge Durango, which was believed to be stolen, over the Hanover Street Bridge toward the city when he activated his emergency lights in an attempt to stop the vehicle at the McComas Street intersection.
The driver rammed multiple vehicles before fleeing the scene, but did not make it far due to damage sustained to the vehicle, police said.
Boggess wrote that both the driver’s side and passenger side door opened, and that he saw a man wearing a white shirt and jeans emerge from the driver’s side. The officer gave chase, and the man circled back and jumped into the patrol vehicle and took off.
Police located the patrol car in the 1900 block of E. Fort Ave., and the suspect — later identified as Kirby — was tracked by the Foxtrot helicopter unit to the area of Tide Point, where he was seen throwing suspected drugs into the water before jumping into the water.
With the help of the fire department, officers apprehended Kirby inside of an industrial area nearby, and found heroin gel caps in the Durango and in the water. The Durango was confirmed to have been stolen in early September, police said. Kirby is charged with drug and theft offenses related to the incident, online court records show. No attorney for Kirby was listed.
Kirby was convicted of firearm possession by a convicted felon and sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in 2009. Records show he was released in May, and police gave his last known address as a Volunteers of America reentry location in East Baltimore.
