Man Fires Shots At Howard County Police Officers Serving Warrant

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A Mt. Airy man has been charged with attempted murder after shooting out the driver's side windshield of a police vehicle as officers approached his home Thursday in order to serve a search warrant. Bulletproof glass prevented the shots from striking the officer who was driving the armored vehicle.

Karl Tomanek, 34, of Shaffersville Road, has been charged with attempted first-degree homicide and numerous firearms charges. He is being held without bond at the Howard County Detention Center.

After Tomanek fired the shots, officers did not return fire. Instead they gave immediate verbal commands to take him into custody. No one was injured.

“Our community almost lost an officer yesterday,” Howard County Police Chief Lisa Myers said in a statement. “If not for the protection of the armored vehicle, this event would have ended very differently. After taking fire, these officers were able to resolve this very dangerous situation without injury, thanks to their outstanding training and judgement, as well as the critical equipment that saved their lives.”

Police were approaching Tomanek’s residence Jan. 14 to serve a search warrant after identifying him as a suspect in an April burglary in which $25,000 of equipment was stolen. As police approached, Tomanek exited his residence with a shotgun and fired two shots directly at the driver of the vehicle.

During the service of the search warrant at the house, police found multiple firearms and rounds of ammunition that Tomanek had been prohibited from possessing. They also discovered evidence linking him to the April burglary and expect to file additional charges as the investigation continues.