PG Man Who Shot at Police
Killed by Return Fire
LA PLATA --- A man two Charles County Sheriff's Officers were trying to arrest for DWI on Saturday morning in the parking lot of a La Plata apartment complex, suddenly pulled away as the officers were handcuffing him, according to Sheriff Fred Davis, and reached into his waist area, produced a handgun and fired at the officers, perhaps even firing one round into himself.  One officer returned fire and struck a fatal blow at the man, identified as Jonathan Zacharias Lyles, 24, of Oxon Hill.
Sheriff Davis told ST. MARY'S TODAY that Officer James Thompson had been performing patrol checks on the La Plata neighborhood due to increased incidents of crime and spotted a vehicle which had backed up over the curb, struck a air conditioning unit, just missed a tree and was still running with an operator at the wheel.
"When Sheriff’s Officers Clint Walter and Jonathan Rager arrived to assist Officer Thompson, they had him perform a field sobriety test which the man failed," said Sheriff Davis. "While the suspect was about 6'3" and about 230 pounds, both of the officers who were handcuffing him were much smaller in size and when they got the man's one hand in cuffs, the man suddenly pulled free and reached into his waistband area and pulled out a gun, perhaps firing a shot which may have wounded himself and then firing at the officers.  At that point Officer Clint Walter returned fire, striking the man and rendering him unable to fire again.  The officers immediately called for EMT and a helicopter which took him to Prince George's Shock trauma, where he later died."
Davis said that the proper procedure for an arrest was being followed and that the officers would pat a suspect down for a weapon after cuffing them, not before, therefore were unable to know that the man was armed. An investigation will be conducted to determine the use of force in this case and the officers involved will be on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the probe.
Davis said that Lyles had an extensive criminal history with his agency and just about a year ago was found to be armed in a previous traffic stop.