On October 3, at 2:27 a.m., patrol officers were in the area of Leonardtown Road near Smallwood Drive when they heard what sounded like gunfire. As they went to investigate, the officers observed a car being driven at a high rate of speed leaving the area with no operable lights.
The officers initiated a traffic stop and the driver subsequently pulled over in the parking lot of Smallwood Park and Ride. A passenger in the car jumped out of the vehicle with a rifle in his hand and fled into the woods. The driver remained in the car. Officers established a perimeter and a K9 team responded.
The K9 team conducted a track and located the passenger hiding in a drainage ditch. The passenger, Kelvin Lynell Brawner, 32, of Waldorf, was safely taken into custody. The K9 team also located an AR-15 rifle and a handgun on the path near where Brawner was located. A spent shell casing was recovered inside the vehicle. Officers checked the area where they initially heard the gunshots but did not locate any evidence that the gunfire struck anything.
Brawner and the driver, Eric Lamont Figeroux, 26, of Waldorf, were each charged with illegal possession of a firearm due to a previous felony conviction, illegal possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle, and other related charges. Brawner is being held at the Charles County Detention Center without bond. Figeroux was released by a judge on a $5,000 bond.
Anyone with additional information about this case is asked to call Officer Wilson at 301-932-2222. The investigation is continuing.