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Prince George’s County resident Keith DeWayne Nickens, Jr., 20, of Accokeek, is facing multiple charges after allegedly assaulting a woman at her job and resisting arrest, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office.
Officers were dispatched shortly before 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 7 to a shopping center in the 1100 block of Smallwood Drive in Waldorf, where there was a report of a possible road-rage incident in the parking lot involving an armed man and woman.
Additional 911 calls reported that the man was pistol-whipping the woman, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said.
When the officer arrived, he located Nickens and a woman at the back of the business as the former threw something into a car.
The officer gave Nickens verbal commands, officials said, but he refused to comply, jumped into a car, and sped away, striking a marked patrol car of one of the responding officers, totaling the cruiser.
Nickens then got out and began running toward his victim, who was still in the parking lot, investigators said. As he was doing so, he ran into a patrol car, striking his leg, though he continued charging forward until he reached the woman and grabbed her.
Officers were ultimately able to apprehend Nickens and subdued him after a struggle. A pellet gun was also recovered in the suspect's vehicle.
According to the sheriff’s office, the initial investigation determined that Nickens allegedly drove to the woman’s place of work and shot out the windows of her car with the pellet gun.
The woman then exited the business and attempted to drive away, but Nickens chased her in his car and eventually blocked her in, according to the sheriff's office. He then allegedly pulled the woman out of the car and began beating her with the gun.
Officials said the woman was treated at the scene by paramedics for injuries she sustained during the assault. The officer in the marked police car that was struck refused treatment.
Nickens was transported to an area hospital after complaining of an injury to his leg, where he was treated and returned back to officers.
Nickens was charged with:
- First-degree assault;
- Second-degree assault;
- Failure to comply with a law enforcement officer’s orders;
- “Other related charges.”
On Thursday, Sept. 8, a judge ordered that Nickens be held at the Charles County Detention Center without bond.
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