(FINCHVILLE, MD) – Maryland State Police from the Criminal Enforcement Division arrested a Delaware man today suspected to have fired at police after an attempted traffic stop in Dorchester County.
The suspect is identified as Isaiah Peppers, 20, of Magnolia, Delaware. Peppers was arrested and charged with multiple crimes to include attempted first and second degree murder, first and second degree assault, illegal possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony violent crime, eluding uniformed police by failing to stop, and other criminal and traffic related charges. Peppers was arrested shortly after 1:00 p.m. today in Hampton, Virginia by members of the Maryland State Apprehension Team.
Peppers was transported to the Hampton Police Department for processing in Hampton, where he will be later arraigned. Maryland State Police will seek to extradite Peppers back to Maryland for an initial appearance hearing before a court commissioner.
Maryland state troopers investigating the incident were assisted by troopers from the Delaware State Police, and officers from the Seaford Police Department and Dover Police Department. These allied agencies provided key evidence which led to the recovery of the suspect vehicle on Saturday, January 12, 2019 in Seaford, Delaware. Police found the vehicle abandoned in a back alley on North Shipley Street in Seaford.
Further investigation led to the identification of the suspected driver of the Alero, later identified as Peppers. Police believe Peppers was the driver and sole occupant of the tan 2002 Oldsmobile Alero, the suspect vehicle involved in the shooting.
Maryland State Police enlisted the assistance of federal, state and local law enforcement in Delaware and Virginia to locate the suspected fugitive, including deputies from the U.S. Marshal’s Service Norfolk. Shortly after 1:00 p.m. today, the Maryland State Apprehension Team apprehended Peppers walking in the 900 block of North King Street in Hampton, Virginia. Police located a .38 caliber revolver in his backpack and several rounds of ammunition in his pockets.
Just after midnight on January 11, 2019, troopers from the Easton Barrack attempted a traffic stop for a speed violation in the eastbound lane of Route 392 in Dorchester County. The driver, later identified as Peppers, refused to stop. As police continued to attempt the traffic stop with their emergency equipment activated, Peppers reportedly fired several shots out of the driver’s side window, striking the trooper’s marked Ford Explorer multiple times.
Troopers did not discharge their agency issued firearms at any time during the incident, nor were there any reported injuries on the scene. A trooper’s agency issued SUV sustained several bullet strikes, shattering the rear hatch window and the right rear passenger window.
The investigation is being conducted by Maryland State Police investigators from the Criminal Enforcement Division Upper Shore Region.
