A Baltimore police officer has been indicted on multiple charges — including attempted second-degree murder and assault — after a viral video appeared to show him chasing a man with his patrol vehicle while on duty last month.
Officer Robert Parks faces charges of attempted second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, reckless driving and misconduct in office, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates announced this week. Bates said the maximum possible penalty if convicted on all counts is 65 years in prison.
“These charges reflect the seriousness of what we all saw in that video — a police vehicle driving directly at a civilian,” Bates said, noting that anyone operating a vehicle in such a manner, officer or not, would face similar consequences.
Investigators with the Public Trust and Police Integrity Unit have obtained additional video footage from nearby businesses to help reconstruct what happened. Bates described portions of the new videos as “disturbing,” noting that the viral clip does not show the full sequence of events.
Parks turned himself in on Wednesday and was released on his own recognizance the next day, according to a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office. He has not yet been arraigned. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott confirmed that Parks, who was initially suspended, is now suspended without pay. His attorney, Chaz Ball, declined to comment.
Allegations in the Indictment
According to the indictment, around 5 p.m. on Oct. 28, Parks drove to a liquor store on the 3000 block of Wylie Avenue. He approached a group standing outside and allegedly told them, “It’s getting a little hot, guys. I just need you guys to take a lap.”
As the group dispersed, one man walked away. Parks returned to his patrol vehicle, drove a short distance, then called the man by name and ordered him to come over, the indictment states. When the man refused and continued walking, Parks allegedly warned, “All right, I’m gonna call the dogs and come get you.”
The indictment claims Parks reported over radio that he had “one running” before accelerating his cruiser toward the man in a driveway. The vehicle allegedly struck the man, who continued to flee on foot.
Prosecutors say Parks repeatedly steered his SUV at the man — driving onto a sidewalk between a fence and a utility pole in one instance — and later ramming through a chain-link fence into a backyard as the man tried to escape. The cruiser then became disabled. Parks briefly continued the chase on foot before stopping and returning to his vehicle, according to the indictment.
Bates said the man had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant at the time of the incident.
Union Responds
The Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3 emphasized that an indictment does not equal guilt. In a statement, the union argued that certain details known to Parks during the incident were not disclosed and urged the public to keep an open mind.
