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The incident unfolded around 9:20 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20, when Frederick County Sheriff’s Deputy First Class Roush spotted a suspicious white Nissan van near Route 85 and Grove Road.
The van attempted to evade police by veering onto a gravel path behind a shopping center, according to the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.
After running the van’s tags and discovering it was stolen, deputies initiated a pursuit, though the driver refused to stop, speeding onto I-270 northbound and reaching speeds up to 100 mph, officials said.
The chase continued toward Shady Grove Road, where the driver intentionally rammed a vehicle stopped at a red light, injuring three occupants—two of whom were hospitalized.
Due to safety concerns, Frederick County deputies ended the pursuit, while a Maryland State Police helicopter tracked the suspects from above.
Montgomery County Police officers later apprehended all four suspects at a Sheetz gas station on Progress Way as they were attempting to flush drugs down a a toilet.
Deputies searching the stolen van recovered crack cocaine, fentanyl, and drug paraphernalia, investigators added.
The suspects, now facing a series of felony charges, were identified as:
Shawn Elswick, 25, of Riverdale (driver), charged with first- and second-degree assault, motor vehicle theft, drug possession, and multiple traffic offenses, including reckless driving and fleeing police;
Reny Escobar, 24, of Frederick, Walter Caberera Miranda, 28, and Jose Torres Juarez, 19, were all charged with motor vehicle theft and drug possession.
According to the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, Caberera Miranda and Torres Juarez were identified as being in the US illegally. Immigration detainers were placed on both suspects through the department's 287(g) program.
"Two of the four suspects taken into custody were found to be in the United States illegally through our 287(g) Program during the central booking process. Those same two suspects were released on personal recognizance on initial appearance before a District Court Commissioner," Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said.
"These two individuals are being held as removable criminal aliens only because ICE detainers were placed on them by 287(g)-trained correctional officers."
Jenkins said that without those detainers, they would have likely been released immediately, "potentially returning to criminal activity, or disappearing before trial."
“This is yet another example of the importance of the 287(g) Program to local public safety in protecting our community," Jenkins added. “I can’t emphasize strongly enough just how effective and valuable the program has been over the 16-year partnership.”
All suspects were booked at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center, with ICE expected to take custody of Caberera Miranda and Torres Juarez following the resolution of their local charges.
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