CALVERT COUNTY, MD — A pair of car thieves were arrested early Thursday morning, May 8, following a dramatic high-speed chase, spike strips, and a tense standoff in a stranger’s driveway.
Emmanuel Adjapong Mellish, 21, of Silver Spring, and Ryan Eveard Moses Lowe, 20, of Bowie, were apprehended after deputies pursued them in a stolen SUV linked to several vehicle break-ins and thefts across the area.
The series of events began on May 4, when deputies were called to a home on Wildfire Lane in Owings after a 2016 white Dodge Journey was stolen from a driveway. Another vehicle at the home was also broken into, with a wallet and credit cards stolen, according to the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office.
Just over an hour later, deputies located a 2011 Hyundai Sonata abandoned nearby on Paulyn Drive. However, the crime spree didn’t end there. On May 6, more reports of vehicles being tampered with came in from the Cavalier Country subdivision in Dunkirk.
Around 2:45 a.m. on May 6, a resident on Squire Lane spotted a suspect dressed in black trying to break into cars. The same white Dodge Journey was seen speeding away after the suspect was approached.
Investigators later connected the stolen SUV to the suspects and, on May 8, deputies spotted the vehicle again around 1:25 a.m. near Smithville Road and Fielder Court. The suspects refused to stop when officers tried to pull them over, triggering a chase.
The suspects ran a red light and sped through traffic, with deputies following behind. The pursuit continued until Deputy Baxter deployed spike strips near Brickhouse Road, puncturing both front tires of the SUV. Despite the damage, the suspects continued to flee.
The chase ended when deputies executed a PIT (Precision Intervention Technique) maneuver, forcing the vehicle to stop in the driveway of a home on Southern Maryland Boulevard.
Even after stopping, the suspects refused to surrender for nearly 20 minutes, despite multiple warnings from K9 units. Deputies used K9 Cruz and K9 Atlas to help convince them to give up.
A search of Mellish’s backpack turned up a cellphone and gloves. Inside the stolen SUV, deputies recovered multiple items linked to the earlier thefts.
Both suspects were arrested and taken to the Calvert County Detention Center. They face several charges, including:
Unlawful taking of a motor vehicle
Eight counts of rogue and vagabond
CDS: possession of paraphernalia
Theft: $1,500 to under $25,000
Two counts of theft: $100 to under $1,500
Theft: less than $100
Mellish also faces an additional charge of fleeing and eluding. The investigation continues as authorities work to identify any additional victims linked to the thefts.
