Driver Charged After Crash That Injured MD State Trooper: Report

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — A Bowie man has been issued multiple traffic citations reportedly tied to an incident Friday morning that sent a state trooper to the hospital.

Alton Bomo Garbla, 32, was cited for eight traffic offenses such as improper passing, reckless driving and speeding. Court records indicate he was driving 120 mph on I-95 near mile marker 85, where the speed limit is 65 mph.

According to The Aegis, the trooper tried to stop Garbla, who drove a stolen 2019 Nissan Rouge onto the shoulder of the highway to pass a tractor-trailer.

When the trooper followed the Nissan onto the shoulder, the tractor-trailer swerved into the shoulder as well and hit the officer, who is assigned to the JFK Barrack of Maryland State Police in Perryville, the paper reported.

The trooper was injured in the crash, and he was flown to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore for treatment.

A medevac landed on I-95 near MD 155 after 11 a.m., prompting a temporary shutdown of the highway to traffic in both directions.

By 5 p.m., the trooper had been treated and released from the hospital, The Aegis reported.

Maryland State Police said the suspect drove the stolen vehicle over the state line into Delaware, where law enforcement officers with Delaware State Police took up the chase.

Garbla was reportedly arrested in Pennsylvania after leading authorities from Delaware to New Jersey to Chester, Pa., and he is expected to face charges in multiple states.

PREVIOUS REPORT — A state trooper was airlifted from a crash on Interstate 95 in Harford County Friday morning, according to Maryland State Police. He was flown for treatment, and the Delaware State Police are pursuing the stolen vehicle he was chasing after the suspect drove over the state line, officials said.

The crash was reported around 10:45 a.m. on I-95 north before the exit for MD 155, according to state transportation authorities.

Police said the trooper had been pursuing a vehicle that was reported stolen when his cruiser was hit and crashed.

I-95 north was closed in the area of MD 155 from 11:15 to 11:30 a.m. as a helicopter landed to medevac the injured policeman for treatment. He was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, police said.

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INITIAL STORY — Interstate 95 was temporarily closed in both directions near the exit for MD 155 Friday morning due to a crash, according to authorities.

A Maryland State Police trooper was involved in the crash, and a medevac was requested, according to the Susquehanna Hose Company.

As of 11:15 a.m., I-95 was shut down in both directions, state transportation officials said.

By 11:30 a.m., authorities reported southbound I-95 had reopened and two left lanes on I-95 north had reopened. The right lane remains closed.

The crash was reported around 10:45 a.m., officials said.

At 11 a.m., all lanes were closed on I-95 north, according to authorities. Within 15 minutes, all lanes were closed — both north and southbound.

See the latest lane closure information from state transportation officials.