OCEAN CITY — Two suspects were arrested on first-degree assault and other charges last week after a bizarre confrontation with a group on mopeds ended with an alleged stabbing.
Around 6:50 p.m. last Thursday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to Ocean City Fire Department’s headquarters at 15th Street for a reported stabbing. Upon arrival, OCPD officers met with a male victim who was observed with fresh wounds on his hands that were bleeding.
The victim told police a suspect, later identified as Richard White, 35, of Grasonville, Md., had allegedly gotten out of a silver SUV and attacked his brother. The initial victim reportedly told police he had not been stabbed, but the injuries to his hands were caused when White allegedly pushed him to the ground, according to police reports. The victim’s brother was being treated inside an Ocean City EMS ambulance for a stab wound, according to police reports.
The investigation revealed a verbal altercation had occurred between a group on mopeds and two occupants of a vehicle in the area of Baltimore Avenue and 7th Street. The verbal altercation continued north on Baltimore Avenue, eventually ending on Philadelphia Avenue at 14th Street.
At that location, the female driver of the vehicle, later identified as Ashley Felton, 31, of Chester, Md., intentionally struck one of the mopeds, causing it to crash. At that point, White exited the vehicle and engaged in a physical altercation with the four moped operators, according to police reports. During the altercation, White allegedly produced a knife and stabbed one of the moped operators.
The vehicle then fled the scene and a description of it along with descriptions of White and Felton were broadcasted. A short time later, Ocean City Communications advised an officer from the Berlin Police Department located the suspect’s vehicle in the area of Friendship Road. The Berlin police officer advised the vehicle first tried to evade him, but he was able to stop the vehicle in front of a church on Friendship Road in Berlin and detained White and Felton.
OCPD officers brought one of the victims to the scene to positively identify White and Felton, according to police reports. A witness in the case was also brought over and positively identified White, but the witness said he had not seen the driver, Felton, according to police reports.
During the investigation, OCPD officers observed GoPro footage of the incident captured by one of the moped riders involved. The footage reportedly showed an altercation had begun between the four moped riders and White and Felton in their vehicle in the area of 8th Street. At a red light, White reportedly got out of the vehicle and continued the verbal altercation.
White reportedly got back in the vehicle, at which time Felton allegedly put the silver SUV in reverse and strike on of the moped riders. The moped riders chased the SUV as it accelerated away from the scene, yelling obscenities at White and Felton during the chase, according to police reports.
In the area of 11th Street, one of the moped riders was able to catch up to the vehicle, pulled along side of it and kicked its door, at which point Felton purposely turned the vehicle into the moped, causing it to crash. The town’s City Watch video reportedly showed the SUV at a stop light, which blocked the vehicle’s further passage, according to police reports.
The City Watch footage reportedly showed one of the mopeds approaching the SUV, at which point White opened the passenger door, causing the moped rider to crash. White then got out and approached two of the moped riders in an aggressive manner.
When the two brothers retreated from an aggressive White, he allegedly chased them down and tackled them on a sidewalk, according to police reports.
The City Watch footage allegedly showed White scuffling with the two brothers on the ground before lunging at one of the victims in a stabbing motion. According to police reports, one of the victims stood up to begin chasing after White again, but stopped and grabbed his chest, at which point he realized he had been stabbed, according to police reports.
White got back in the vehicle and it fled south on Philadelphia Avenue. White and Felton fled from Ocean City before they were eventually stopped in Berlin.
White has been charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. Felton has been charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault and numerous traffic-related offenses. Each was held initially without bond. Following bail review hearings on Monday, both Felton and White were ordered to be held without bond. Preliminary hearings for each suspect have been set for Sept. 17.
