Metro News Release
For immediate release: January 7, 2005
Metro Transit Police make key arrest in Suitland, Maryland
Fare evader identified as attempted murder suspect
A Metro Transit Police Officer stopped a man for fare evasion at the Suitland Metrorail station yesterday afternoon. While doing a routine check of the man, Jerome L. Vernon, the officer discovered that the 22-year-old Rockville, MD, resident had an outstanding warrant for attempted murder in Montgomery County.
As Officer Christa Matthews went to arrest the man, he ran from the station. Officer Matthews called for backup and pursued the man. Vernon ran across Silver Hill Road and scaled a wall behind an apartment complex in the 3400 block of Parkview Terrace Drive. While the officer had lost sight of the suspect after he jumped the fence, support from Prince George’s County Police Department and U.S. Park Police arrived to assist and set up a perimeter around Parkway Terrace with the on-scene MTPD units.
Within minutes, members of the Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) Special Response Team (SRT) arrived and one officer led his K-9 partner, a Belgian Malinois, to the secured area. After a brief search, a second officer spotted Vernon in a truck and indicated the location to two other SRT members who closely trailed him. The SRT members, acting as a team, were then able to arrest the man without incident.
Vernon was processed in Prince George’s County District 4 and held in the PG Adult Detention facility pending transfer to Montgomery County.
Vernon was stopped for fare evasion at 4:12 p.m. and arrested at 4:58 p.m. There were no injuries.
"The incident was very professionally and thoroughly handled by the Special Response Team," said Transit Police Captain Mark Olson who leads the SRT unit. Olson stressed that his team was successful because of the good work done by MTPD Officer Matthews and the U.S. Park and PG County Police Departments, as well as the additional MTPD units on the scene.
"We take crime in the Metrorail and Metrobus system extremely seriously," said Polly Hanson, Chief of the Metro Transit Police. "We make stops for crimes which are seen as minor offenses such as fare evasion, eating and drinking for good reason. Yesterday’s incident was a prime example. This fare evader was wanted for attempted murder and the diligent work of our police officers led to his capture."
In an unrelated incident, MTPD Officer Kenneth Frost stopped the driver of an unregistered vehicle at Anacostia Metrorail station early Thursday morning. During a routine identification check, Officer Frost discovered that the passenger had an outstanding warrant for drug distribution and arrested Jamal Thompson of Southeast, Washington, D.C. Thompson was transported to the Metropolitan Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division.
News release issued on January 7, 2005.