Baltimore police have identified the 25-year-old man who tried to elude capture by scaling a Route 40 overpass only to fall to his death in rush-hour traffic.
John Cook, 25, of the 1100 block of St. Agnes Lane, had been previously charged with attempted carjacking and armed robbery, but was not convicted.
Police say Cook was near Fulton Avenue at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday when officers noticed he was walking in a manner that indicted he had a gun, according to Officer Nicole Monroe, a police spokeswoman.
As the officers got out of their car, Cook ran and they chased him on foot.
Cook climbed over a 6-foot chain-link fence onto the bridge atop westbound U.S. 40 and “began dangling over the road,” Monroe said.
Cook then fell about 70 feet into oncoming traffic. He was struck by a passing motorist and died.
“The driver was upset and shaken,” Monroe said. “She could not make an evasive move due to the sudden appearance of the suspect. If you?re driving, you?re not expecting someone to drop out of the sky. How do you avoid something like that?”
Police found on Cook a .357 Magnum handgun, seven live rounds and two bags containing marijuana, they said.
