Suspect Killed in Dramatic Confrontation With Police Identified

Police have identified the after police said he assaulted a officer, stole a patrol car and lead officers on a chase that ended in a shopping center parking lot at Caton Avenue and Annapolis Road.

According to officials, former Baltimore Highlands resident Munpreet Singh Chona, 26, was shot by as many as four police officers after his Ford Bronco crashed into a patrol car in the Patapsco Village Shopping Center parking lot.

Chona "always said he'd never go to jail again," friend and former neighbor Davlyn Hill told Arbutus Patch.

The dramatic incident began around 2 a.m. Jan. 31, when police attempted to pull over a white Nissan at Harlem Lane and Edmondson Avenue in Catonsville, officials said.

The driver of the Nissan headed southbound on the outer loop of the Beltway and evaded a second attempt by police to pull him over, then crashed at the split of the I-695 Beltway and northbound I-95, according to police.

When a Baltimore County police officer responded to the crash scene, Chona reportedly fought the officer, said he had a gun and would shoot the officer, and stole the officer's vehicle.

The cruiser was traced to a Motel 6 on Caton Avenue. As officers responded to the Motel 6, a dark-colored Ford Bronco fled the parking lot at a high rate of speed, according to police.

Police stopped the Bronco, and as they were removing three occupants, a fourth passenger jumped behind the driver's wheel and fled in the Bronco, officials said.

The Bronco was stopped on the 3400 block of Annapolis Road when it collided with a police car, according to police.

Four police officers—three from Baltimore County and one from Anne Arundel County—discharged their weapons and fired several shots at the suspect, according to officials.

According to video shown on WJZ-TV, the gunfire was over in three seconds.

WBAL reported that police found a hammer in the Bronco, but no gun was found.

According to court records, Chona previously led Baltimore County police on a chase in June 2009, and was charged with attempting to elude officers, negligent driving and other offenses. He had also previously been charged with drug possession and carrying a gun in a vehicle on other occasions, according to records.

Most recently living in Baltimore, Chona previously lived with his brother on the 2700 block of Yarnall Road in Baltimore Highlands. Known as Monty by friends, Chona and his brother lost their parents at an early age, according to Hill.

"They basically raised themselves," Hill said. "I'm not saying that's an excuse for him, but that's what happened. He's always been in and out of trouble, but what do you expect?"

Hill described Chona as a loyal friend with a wild streak.

"He's definitely a wild person," she said. "If he liked you, he'd give you the shirt off his back. He's always been a friend of mine when he's not locked up."

Hill could offer no explanation for Chona's actions on Jan. 31.

"It's sad the way it happened," she said. "He's had a lot going on lately. I don't know what was going on in that boy's mind."

Police have not said what Chona did that led officers to discharge their weapons.

"They didn't have to kill him," Hill said. "They could have shot him in the leg and injured him. I know he deserved consquences for his actions but he didn't have to die. I'd rather see him in jail than in a coffin."

According to postings on Facebook, friends of Chona plan on holding a benefit to raise money for his burial expenses.