Three suspects fled on foot into a Huntingtown neighborhood early Tuesday after a vehicle pursuit that began when Calvert County deputies responded to a burglary in progress at a Dunkirk business, according to the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies from the sheriff’s office’s Patrol Bureau responded to the reported burglary in the early morning hours of July 28. As deputies arrived, a vehicle matching the suspect vehicle’s description fled south on Route 4. Deputies deployed stop sticks, deflating the vehicle’s tires, and the car ultimately came to a stop in the area of Walton Road in Huntingtown, where all three occupants ran from the vehicle on foot.
No suspect descriptions were available as of Tuesday, and the sheriff’s office said the investigation remains active. Detectives are asking Huntingtown-area residents to stay alert and report any suspicious activity, including checking home security systems or doorbell cameras for footage that might help investigators track the suspects’ movements after they abandoned the vehicle.
Anyone with information, including Ring doorbell or other surveillance footage from the Walton Road area, is asked to contact Detective Thomas Buckler at Thomas.Buckler@calvertcountymd.gov. Tips can also be submitted anonymously by emailing CCSOtips@calvertcountymd.gov or through the sheriff’s office’s tip app.
Stop sticks, also known as tire deflation devices, are a standard tool Maryland law enforcement agencies use to end vehicle pursuits without resorting to higher-risk tactics like ramming or forcing a vehicle off the road, working by puncturing a fleeing vehicle’s tires as it drives over spikes laid across the roadway. Their use here allowed deputies to end the pursuit on Route 4, a heavily traveled corridor connecting Calvert County’s town centers, without a prolonged high-speed chase.
Business burglaries have appeared periodically in the sheriff’s office’s weekly incident reports in and around Dunkirk and Huntingtown in recent months, including cases involving forced entry at retail stores and break-ins reported after the fact with no suspects immediately identified. Tuesday’s incident stands out for the attempted escape by vehicle and the deployment of stop sticks, a more active law enforcement response than the after-the-fact burglary reports that make up the bulk of the area’s routine crime blotter.
The sheriff’s office regularly encourages business and homeowners in the area to reduce burglary risk through basic security measures, including installing visible camera systems, ensuring adequate exterior lighting, securing doors and windows with commercial-grade locks, and reporting suspicious vehicles or people loitering near closed businesses overnight. Investigators have said in past cases that timely surveillance footage from nearby homes and businesses is often the difference between identifying suspects quickly and a case going cold.
The sheriff’s office did not immediately release the name of the burglarized business or details about what, if anything, was taken. Check back for updates as the investigation continues.
