Authorities say an off-duty Montgomery County police officer shot a man in Rockville early Wednesday morning.
The man was a passenger in a car that was stopped by a Maryland-National Capital Park Police for a traffic violation in the 6500 block of Muncaster Mill Road at about 1:30 a.m. The officer smelled marijuana, another passenger in the vehicle fled and the park police officer called for assistance, according to Montgomery County police.
An on-duty canine officer and an off-duty patrol officer from Montgomery County responded. Police said the canine officer tracked the fleeing suspect while the patrol officer remained with the vehicle.
One of the passengers left the vehicle and reached for his waistband, police said. Police said the man didn’t obey the officer’s commands, and the officer fired several shots. The suspect was hit in the leg and is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said the suspect who was shot had marijuana in his waistband and that the officer, whose name was not released, has been placed on administrative leave.
