Baltimore police Wednesday 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 G. Cook, 25, of the 1100 block of St. Agnes Lane, had been charged previously with attempted carjacking and armed robbery, but was not convicted.
Police say Cook was near Fulton Avenue around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday when officers noticed he was walking in a manner that indicted he was in possession of a gun, according to Officer Nicole Monroe, a police spokeswoman.
As the police got out of the car, Cook ran from the officers, who pursued him on foot.
He 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 some 70 feet into oncoming traffic, where 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?”
After the fall, Cook still had in his possession a .357 Magnum handgun, seven live rounds and two clear bags containing marijuana, police said.
