Montgomery County police officer who lost legs in crash released from Shock Trauma
BALTIMORE - A Montgomery County police officer, who lost his legs in a crash with a teen driver who authorities say intentionally struck him, has been released from the hospital.
Sgt. Patrick Kepp was discharged from Shock Trauma at the UMD Medical Center Thursday. He received a police escort to Walter Reed where he will continue his recovery.
READ MORE: 19-year-old driver charged after intentionally hitting officer on I-270 in Gaithersburg: police
On October 18, Kepp was trying to put down stop sticks in the northbound lanes of I-270 in the Germantown area in an effort to stop 19-year-old driver Raphael Mayorga. Investigators say Mayorga was reckless driving and had been known to provoke officers into chasing him.
Police say Mayorga was seen doing doughnuts, getting on and off of the highway wildly, and reaching speeds up to 110 mph. After he nearly ran another car off of the road, police made the decision to deploy stop sticks.
Kepp parked his patrol car on the side of the highway and got out to lay down the tire-deflation device when investigators say Mayorga intentionally switched lanes and barreled toward him.
Mayorga hit Kepp and continued speeding down the highway where he was apprehended by another officer. He faces first-degree murder and several other charges.