Frederick County Sheriff's Office vehicle

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A Maryland man played bumper cars with members of the Frederick County Sheriff's Office during a wild wrong-way pursuit before attempting to escape custody from the hospital, officials say.

Idlewylde resident Cory Thomas Burkhardt, 37, did his best to avoid being apprehended, but found himself behind bars after a police pursuit that started in Frederick and spanned into Montgomery County.

Deputies said the chaos started around 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, when a Frederick County deputy spotted a reckless driver heading south on US Route 15 near Rosemont Avenue.

The driver — later identified as Burkhardt — then crossed the median and kept heading south in the northbound lanes, forcing other drivers to dodge him, as he "made several attempts to strike sheriff's office vehicles and deputies," the agency said.

Spike strips were deployed twice, according to investigators, but Burkhardt kept driving onto the southbound lanes of I-270 while still traveling north.

Near the Clarksburg exit on I-270, a deputy used their police vehicle to force Burkhardt's vehicle into a guardrail, bringing it to a controlled stop, ending the pursuit.

But not ending Burkhardt's crusade.

Initially, he refused to exit his vehicle. 

According to the sheriff's office, deputies used non-lethal weapons to gain compliance, and two children, ages 8 and 12, exited the vehicle first. 

Burkhardt then exited while carrying a third child, approximately 2 years old, and fled on foot while acting in a manner suggesting he was armed.

A Taser deployment allowed deputies to secure the toddler, but Burkhardt continued to resist arrest, attempted to disarm a deputy, before additional non-lethal measures resulted in him being apprehended.

Burkhardt still wasn't done.

First responders took Burkhardt to Frederick Health Hospital for an emergency evaluation while deputies were securing charges against him. 

 During this process, before charges were completed, Burkhardt forced his way out of the hospital, fleeing on foot. Burkhardt was apprehended by Frederick Police Officers shortly thereafter and transported back to Frederick Health Hospital.

Burkhardt was charged with:

  • Two counts of first-degree assault;
  • Four counts of second-degree assault;
  • Disarming a law enforcement;
  • An attempt by a driver to elude a uniformed police officer by failing to stop;
  • An attempt by a driver to elude a police officer's vehicle by failing to stop;
  • Reckless driving;
  • Negligent driving a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner, endangering property, life, and person;
  • Failure to drive on the right-hand side of the road of a divided highway;
  • Driving on the median strip of a divided highway;
  • Failure to secure a child under 2 years old in a rear-facing child safety seat that complies with federal regulations;
  • Willfully disobeying the lawful order or direction of a police officer.

There were no serious injuries to deputies, the children, or members of the public. FCSO was assisted by Maryland State Police — Frederick Barrack and the Montgomery County Police Department and Frederick City Police.