Brown announces indictment of two Anne Arundel police officers after fatal 2023 crash
by William J. Ford, Maryland Matters
December 9, 2024
Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) announced indictments Monday against two Anne Arundel County police officers who were involved in a high-speed chase that resulted in a death late last year.
The indictments handed down Friday in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court against Cpl. Kieran Schnell, 27, and Cpl. Eddie Vasquez, 29, are the first time the Independent Investigations Division has charged an officer with wrongdoing, Brown said.
The division, created three years ago, investigates cases involving police officers that result in death or injuries likely to result in death. Brown said the division has investigated 61 cases – 30 police-involved shootings, 23 fatal vehicle crashes, seven in-custody deaths and one death that involved use of force – over the years, but it was only last year that lawmakers expanded its authorities to grant it exclusive rights to prosecute cases of police-involved deaths.
“Holding people accountable for their behavior keeps Marylanders safe, and that is my greatest priority as your attorney general,” Brown said at a Balitmore news conference to announce the charges. “It is our duty to investigate and follow the facts wherever they lead and to seek justice on behalf of all Marylanders.”
Even though it took more than a year for the division to file its first charges against an officer, Sen. William C. Smith Jr. (D-Montgomery), who sponsored the legislation to expand the division’s prosecutorial power, said it still represents a greater level of information for the public.
“You have a full report accessible on the website. There are dashboards and information all on one site that any member of the public with an internet connection can access,” said Smith, chair of the Judicial Proceedings Commission. “Because it’s accessible, the citizens of Maryland should rest assured the right decisions are being made and they can judge for themselves by an unprecedented level of transparency.”
Vasquez was charged with one count of misconduct in office, Schnell with two counts of the same charge, for submitting reports that “made factual misrepresentations and material omissions to [their] supervisors about the circumstances of the crash and concealed the occurrence” of the more than 2-mile chase that exceeded 100 mph at points.
According to criminal complaints released by the attorney general’s office, Schnell followed a vehicle with its headlights off traveling 92 mph in a 35-mph zone on Fort Smallwood Road in December 2023.
As Schnell pursued the vehicle and its two passengers at a speed of 79 mph, the car passed Vasquez, who made a U-turn and joined the chase. He drove past Schnell at 115 mph, according to the complaint.
During their pursuit, neither Vasquez nor Schnell activated emergency lights or sirens, or their body-worn cameras “radio to dispatch” or contact a supervisor.
After more than 2 miles, which reached speeds of up to 109 mph, the car being pursued crashed into a utility pole, according to documents. The passenger, Damione Gardner, 22, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for injuries and later released. According to published reports, the driver was identified as Meziah Johnson, now 24.
When asked if any charges have been filed against Johnson by the county’s state’s attorney’s office, communications specialist Heather Stone said in an email Monday the office “cannot comment.”
The attorney general’s office said Schnell has been with the police department since November 2019 and Vasquez since September 2020.
Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad said in a statement Saturday the department investigated the incident and “based on our review, we are not aware of any conduct demonstrated by our officers that rises to the level of a violation of criminal law.”
Awad continued: “We respect the judicial process, however, it is important to remind our community that an indictment is merely an accusation and not a finding of guilt, and our officers are presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
Neither Brown nor Allison Green, chief of the investigations division, took questions during the news conference, because the case remains ongoing.
Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: editor@marylandmatters.org.
