Prosecutors in Baltimore County said this week that newly released video footage from police and the Maryland Transit Administration shows that officers "took proper action" during a fatal shootout. The incident occurred June 7 after armed robbery suspect Blaine Robert Erb boarded a bus in Dundalk, WBAL-TVreported Thursday.
"I actually had to watch it a couple of times because I was a little bit in disbelief," Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger told reporters, adding that footage from a variety of sources—social media, body camera, and MTA—have been reviewed. "And when you look at all three of those, you get a very complete picture that these officers were justified in using deadly force because not only were their lives in danger, but the lives of many civilians in the area were in danger."
Prior to the shootout, Erb was suspected in an armed robbery involving two people in a shopping center parking lot. After the alleged incident, Erb boarded a bus on Dundalk Avenue. The bus was eventually stopped so that officers could enter the vehicle and search for Erb. As gunshots started to ring out, terrified passengers exited the bus.
The ensuing shootout, involving multiple officers, eventually resulted in Erb's death. A 21-year-old civilian and an officer—identified only as Officer Slocum—were also injured during the exchange of gunfire. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
No charges will be filed against the involved officers. According to the Baltimore Sun, who prompted the release of footage using a public information request Tuesday, only one officer involved in the shootout was wearing a body camera due to "gradual" distribution of the cameras to an estimated 1,400 county officers by the end of September.
"He always said it, he would never go back to prison," Crystal Jantz, the mother of Erb's daughter, told the Sun. "He would die first by the cops shooting him." According to police, Erb's criminal history included previous charges of robbery and assault.
Extended MTA and police footage can be seen below.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
