MD MTA Officer, line of duty

[Sgt Jon]

Officer Struck and Killed on I-95
January 1, 2008 - 9:57am

BALTIMORE - A driver has been arrested in a fatal hit-and-run on Interstate 95 that killed a Maryland Transportation Authority police officer early Tuesday, MetroSource reports.

MTA spokeswoman Cpl. Pamela Thorne would not confirm to WTOP that an arrest had been made, saying only that the department would be releasing more information.

Officer Courtney Brooks, 40, was struck while setting out flares for traffic control related to New Year's celebrations in downtown Baltimore area.

WBAL reports that Brooks leaves behind three children and a fiance. Officer.com reports Brooks had been with the MTA for 13 years.

Thorne tells WTOP shortly before 11:30 p.m. the officer was struck on I-95 near the ramp to I-395 in the Baltimore area.

Police had been looking for the driver of a green Ford Explorer.

MetroSource and WBAL contributed to this report.

(Copyright 2007 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

[uptownfed]

RIP

The owner of the Explorer was found today:
BALTIMORE -- Police have taken a person into custody in connection with a hit-and-run crash on New Year's Eve that killed a Maryland Transportation Authority police officer.

Courtney G. Brooks was struck at about 11:20 p.m. Monday on northbound Interstate 95 at Interstate 395, police said.

The 13-year police veteran, who was working as part of a traffic detail, was later pronounced dead at Shock Trauma, officials said.

Police said they arrested Kelly King of Elkton Tuesday morning on an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court in a drunken driving case.

Officials said she is the owner of the 1994 Ford Explorer that struck and killed Brooks.

Police have not determined if King was driving at the time. She is described as a person of interest in the case.

Brooks, a 40-year-old father of three, lived in Carroll County.

Police said Brooks was helping prevent trucks from driving into downtown Baltimore because of homeland security restrictions during the city's New Year's Eve celebration.

Witnesses told police the SUV driver tried to exit on the I-395 ramp before veering back onto the highway across an area where police had set up flares, striking Brooks.

Police recovered the SUV with a Delaware temporary tag "XB719820" in North East, Md., about 50 miles from the crash scene.

"The death of Officer Courtney Brooks last night as thousands gathered to celebrate the New Year is a somber reminder of the courageous work done by law enforcement officers throughout our state -- at the state and local level -- to keep the citizens of Maryland safe," Gov. Martin O'Malley said in a statement Tuesday.

Brooks was the first Transportation Authority police officer to die in the line of duty since 2004, when a driver slammed into the cruiser of Officer Duke G. Aaron III, 29, on U.S. 50 near the Bay Bridge. The driver, Albert G. Antonelli, received a three-year prison sentence.

Northbound Interstate 95 was closed at Interstate 395 from about midnight to 4 a.m. Tuesday.

[navy03]

MD MTA is a great group of guys... sad to hear about this one... RIP.