FBI captures suspect in Maryland highway and NSA shootings
| Fort Meade, Md.
A person believed responsible for shootings along highways over the last two weeks in the Baltimore-Washington area, including shots that damaged a National Security Agency building, is in custody, the FBI said early Wednesday.
The FBI believes the person in custody is responsible for shootings along Maryland highways, including one near the Fort Meade Army installation, which is home to the NSA, FBI spokeswoman Amy Thoreson said in a statement. She said no other information was available early Wednesday.
A person was taken into custody in Anne Arundel County on Tuesday night, county police said in a statement posted on Facebook on Wednesday morning from a verified account.
The Baltimore Sun first reported that late Tuesday that authorities were exploring a connection between five incidents in Anne Arundel, Prince George's and Howard counties, including four in the past two days. At least two people suffered non-life-threatening injuries in one of the incidents.
Law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation, who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak about the case, said surveillance video shows what appears to be the same blue or gray Lincoln Town Car near some of the crime scenes.
In two incidents Tuesday afternoon, someone fired on a truck on the Inter-County Connector in Prince George's County, and one person was taken to the hospital after being injured by broken glass. Later in the afternoon and about 12 miles away, there was a report of shots fired along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Anne Arundel County; the NSA reported damage to a building nearby. No injuries were reported.
There have been several similar incidents recently in the Baltimore-Washington area and police had said they were investigating if they were linked.
On Feb. 24, a man was injured by breaking glass when his vehicle was fired on near Arundel Mills Mall in Anne Arundel. And early Monday, Howard County police responded to reports of shots fired outside the AMC Theatre at The Mall in Columbia.
In the Arundel Mills case, Anne Arundel County police on Saturday released a compilation of surveillance videos that showed a dark Lincoln Town Car they believed may have been involved.
The first of Tuesday's shootings was reported about 2:40 p.m., when a truck with two people inside was struck by gunfire, according to Prince George's County Police. One person was treated at a local hospital for injuries caused by shattering glass and released. Investigators recovered a bullet fragment from the clothing of the other person in the truck, police said.
In response to questions about the report later of shots fired near the NSA and building damage, the surveillance agency issued a short statement Tuesday: "The investigation referenced is ongoing. No injuries to NSA personnel have been reported. State and local authorities are investigating, along with NSA Police." Spokesman Ian Brennan declined to comment further.
A portion of the parkway, a scenic but heavily traveled commuter route, was closed Tuesday while police investigated.
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