A Pikesville man who fled a traffic stop and crashed into a car at a Prince Frederick intersection, killing its driver, was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison.
Calvert County Circuit Court Judge Mark S. Chandlee sentenced Savon Q. Samuel, 32, for automobile manslaughter and fleeing and eluding in the Dec. 12, 2025, crash that killed Servon Gatewood, 58, of Lusby, according to the Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office. Samuel will serve five years of supervised probation after his release.
Samuel pleaded guilty to both charges in June.
What happened
Shortly after 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 12, a Calvert County Sheriff’s deputy tried to stop Samuel’s Nissan sedan on southbound Route 4 in Prince Frederick for a broken brake light, according to the Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division. Samuel did not pull over. The deputy followed for about 0.8 miles, a pursuit that lasted roughly 40 seconds, and reported speeds of 83 mph.
Samuel ran a red light at Stoakley Road and struck Gatewood’s northbound Honda. A Kia SUV was also hit. Gatewood was taken to CalvertHealth Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Samuel suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken into custody at the scene.
No charges against the deputy
Because a law enforcement officer was involved, the attorney general’s office investigated the crash. In March, it declined to charge the deputy, Ryan Campbell. The office found insufficient evidence that he drove in a criminally negligent manner. Its report said Campbell kept a distance of seven to eight seconds behind Samuel’s car, used his emergency equipment, and followed the sheriff’s office pursuit policy, and that a supervisor approved the pursuit.
The case against Samuel was prosecuted by Deputy State’s Attorney Christopher J. Monte.
The Chronicle’s earlier coverage of the case includes the initial crash report and the state’s delay in releasing body camera footage.
