Howard County police have charged a Mount Airy man, accusing him of shooting out the windshield of an armored police vehicle as it approached his home to serve a search warrant.County police said officers arrived Thursday at the Shaffersville Road residence of Karl Tomanek, 34, to serve a search warrant after identifying him as a suspect in an April burglary in Marriottsville in which $25,000 in equipment was stolen."Actual vehicles were removed from the property, as well as other equipment, so we think it happened over a series of time while the residents were not there," Howard County police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn said.As police approached Tomanek's house, Tomanek, armed with a shotgun, fired two shots directly at the driver's side of the police vehicle, police said.Police said officers did not return fire and instead gave immediate verbal commands to take him into custody."In fact, in all of 2020 and all of 2019, our officers never fired at a single person," Llewellyn said.There were other people inside of the home during the time of the shooting, but police said no one was hurt. Police said shattered bulletproof glass was the last line of defense that prevented the shots from striking the officer who was driving the vehicle."We don't think that it was likely he could've survived that," Llewellyn said. "If that officer had been driving a standard vehicle, with standard windshield glass, we would be having a different conversation."Police said officers executed a search warrant of Tomanek's house and found multiple firearms and rounds of ammunition, which Tomanek had been previously prohibited from possessing. They also discovered evidence linking him to the April burglary and expect to file additional charges as the investigation continues, police said."Our community almost lost an officer yesterday," Howard County Police Chief Lisa Myers said in a statement. "If not for the protection of the armored vehicle, this event would have ended very differently. After taking fire, these officers were able to resolve this very dangerous situation without injury, thanks to their outstanding training and judgment, as well as the critical equipment that saved their lives."Tomanek was charged with attempted first-degree murder and numerous firearms charges. He is being held on no bond at the Howard County Detention Center.​

Related Keywords

Lisa Myers , Karl Tomanek , Howard County Detention Center , Howard County , Mount Airy , Chief Lisa , Howard County Detention , Shot Through Windshield , லிசா மைஸ் , ஹோவர்ட் கவுண்டி தடுப்புக்காவல் மையம் , ஹோவர்ட் கவுண்டி , ஏற்ற காற்றாலான , தலைமை லிசா , ஹோவர்ட் கவுண்டி தடுப்புக்காவல் , ஷாட் மூலம் விண்ட்ஷீல்ட் ,