Prince George’s County police in Maryland are trying to figure out how a 15-year-old eluded law enforcement for nearly a month after allegedly carrying out an armed attack on a county school bus on May 1.
Federal law enforcement arrested “Baby K” on Tuesday, after members of the U.S. Marshals Service’s fugitive task force tracked him to the 6300 block of Baltimore Avenue in Riverdale Park, Maryland.
“If we can prove that adults were helping a 15-year-old elude … the law, then that person should face the consequences,” said Prince George’s County Chief of Police Malik Aziz during a news conference Wednesday to discuss the arrest. “There’s accountability for everyone here.”
Authorities said “Baby K” was one of three teens who police said boarded a Prince George’s County school bus during an after-school drop-off on May 1 at the intersection of Iverson Street and Sutler Drive. Police said the group attacked a student with a handgun, attempting to shoot the victim multiple times. The weapon malfunctioned, and the student survived the attack with only minor injuries.
The 15-year-old has been charged as an adult with first- and second-degree attempted murder, assault, firearms offenses and what they called “additional charges.” He is set to go before a judge Thursday for a bond review hearing.
The two other people who boarded the bus —a 15-year-old and a 14-year-old — have already been arrested. A 14-year-old girl is also facing a conspiracy charge in connection with the case. Officials said all three have had bond review hearings, and all three have been held without bond.
Aziz said that “Baby K” was alone when he was arrested Tuesday, and that he was arrested without a weapon. Aziz said police are continuing to investigate where he got the weapon, and how he was able to evade police for nearly a month.
“Where was this child?” Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said. “For a month, the child was on the lam.”
She called the attempted bus shooting a “horrific crime” and noted it comes amid concerns about a rise in youth violence in Prince George’s County and around the country.
“Where are their parents? It’s a fair question,” she said. “Where are their family members? Where are the aunties, the uncles, the God-mamas? Where are the people who are responsible for these youth?”
Alsobrooks cited a recent rise in armed carjackings that she said has left the community feeling “under siege.”
“None of us feel safe. I don’t feel safe, stopping at a gas station to get gas,” Alsobrooks said.
Alsobrooks and Aziz both mentioned that it is a small segment of the county’s youth who are involved in crime. Alsobrooks touted the various programs the county has implemented — youth development programs, anti-violence initiatives, behavioral health services and workforce development and housing support — as all being pieces of a puzzle to help bring crime rates down.
“We can create every program known to man,” Alsobrooks said, “and it will do very little, if the children who commit these acts of violence are not held accountable.”
She added, “It is an issue that literally cannot be resolved simply by the government alone. We need our community to help us as partners in this work, to wrap their arms around these children.”
Alsobrooks and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy heralded the bus driver as a “hero,” commending the driver’s courage and leadership.
“The bus driver in this case can’t be described as anything other than courageous,” Alsobrooks said.
Aziz said the crime shocked the community, and said a school bus is “a place where no child or employee should fear for his or her safety.”
