100 MPH Police Chase Ends With Deadly Crash, Charges Against Anne Arundel Officers: AG

Update: On Sept. 24, 2025, The Baltimore Banner reported that Circuit Judge Stacy W. McCormack dismissed the criminal charges against Kieran Schnell and Eddie Vasquez in this case.

PASADENA, MD — Two police officers face misconduct charges in an unauthorized and deadly 100 mph chase in Anne Arundel County, prosecutors announced Monday.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said the officers "concealed the pursuit." He accused them of making "factual misrepresentations and material omissions about their actions and circumstances related to the crash."

An Anne Arundel County grand jury indicted Officer Eddie Vasquez on one count of misconduct in office and Cpl. Kieran Schnell on two counts of misconduct in office, Brown said.

The Anne Arundel County Police Department has employed Vasquez since September 2020 and Schnell since November 2019. Both are assigned to the Bureau of Patrol.

"As your Attorney General, I must uphold the solemn responsibility of the law to hold all Marylanders accountable for their actions, regardless of their career. That accountability helps fulfill my greatest priority: keeping Maryland residents safe," Brown said in a Monday press release. "When police officers are untruthful during an investigation, they not only break the law, but they also undermine the principles of honesty and integrity that are the foundation of all law enforcement’s efforts to protect the public."

The charges stem from a Dec. 7, 2023 crash in Pasadena. Brown said 22-year-old Damione Gardner of Baltimore died in the crash.

The attorney general said Vasquez and Schnell were chasing a white Infiniti sedan that had its front lights turned off.

Brown said the chase spanned several miles on Fort Smallwood Road in Curtis Bay, with the sedan and both marked police cruisers topping 100 mph. Part of the high-speed chase included the two-lane Stoney Creek drawbridge, which has a speed limit of 35 mph.

The attorney general alleged that the officers never activated their emergency lights or sirens, notified dispatch communications of the pursuit or obtained authorization for the pursuit.

The Infiniti crashed into a utility pole at the intersection of Fort Smallwood and Bar Harbor Roads around 12:06 a.m., Brown said.

The attorney general said Gardner, the front-seat passenger in the sedan, was pronounced dead on the scene.

The Infiniti driver was hospitalized and released after treatment, Brown said.

Neither officer was hurt.

Brown's Independent Investigations Division later released this body-worn camera video from the incident. Viewer's discretion is advised.

"At this time, 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," Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal Awad said in a Saturday statement posted on Facebook. "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."

The charges are filed in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County.

Vasquez's indictment is posted here. Schnell's is available at this link.

This map shows where Brown said the fatal crash happened.