OCEAN CITY — Three Edgewood, Md. men and a juvenile were arrested for motor vehicle theft and other charges last weekend after allegedly swiping a vehicle in Harford County.
Around 4:30 p.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were conducting surveillance at a hotel on 27th Street after discovering a stolen vehicle at a downtown convenience store parking lot. The OCPD officers were watching the hotel because at least one of the suspects involved in the motor vehicle theft was believed to be staying there.
While on surveillance at the hotel, detectives observed an African-American male matching the description of the suspect involved in the stolen vehicle walking with three other males in an alley behind the hotel. OCPD detectives observed the four men, later identified as Davonn Parson, 19, Dalonte Myers, 20, Amir Turner, 18, and a juvenile, all from Edgewood, Md., get into a green Honda Odyssey with Maryland tags.
A background check revealed the Honda had been reported stolen in Harford County the day before. While OCPD observed, the four suspects drove south on Baltimore Avenue and would not stop when emergency lights were activated.
With OCPD vehicles in pursuit, the stolen Honda turned west on Dolphin Street and then north on Marlin Drive, which comes to a dead end at the bay. With the vehicle still in motion, the suspects got out and fled on foot. The vehicle rolled into the front yard of a residence on Marlin Drive and drove over some bushes and flower beds.
A witness grilling on his porch observed the suspects running south on Marlin Drive. OCPD officers set up a perimeter near the dead-end street. Myers was located quickly and taken into custody. Turner and the juvenile jumped into the bay and were found clinging to pillars to stay afloat. Several minutes later, Parson was located hiding under a gazebo.
OCPD officers located a black backpack that had been in possession of both Turner and the juvenile at different times during the pursuit and had been discarded before the pair had jumped in the bay. Inside the backpack, OCPD officers located heroin and cocaine packaged in a manner consistent with distribution.
Each of the four suspects was charged with motor vehicle theft. Parson later admitted being the driver of the stolen vehicle and was also charged with reckless driving. Turner and the juvenile also face charges related to the discovery of narcotics in the backpack each of them had possessed at different times during the incident.