The 21-year-old Columbia man charged with 14 counts of attempted first-degree murder for allegedly pulling a gun on Howard County police officers pleaded not criminally responsible in court Wednesday.
The plea means Jenny Parks, the public defender for Delcarlos Johnnie Jacobs, said he believes he did not have the mental capacity to understand his actions of Feb. 1, when five different police officers say they either heard or saw Jacobs shoot an assault rifle at them.
Jacobs told police he denies that he shot at them.
Howard County Circuit Judge Dennis Sweeney ordered an investigation into Jacobs? mental condition by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
He is scheduled for a June 17 trial date, though Sweeney said he anticipated that date would need to be pushed back.
The incident began when police were attempting to serve a search warrant on an apartment in the 5900 block of Turnabout Lane in Columbia at 11:30 p.m. Feb. 1.
As they approached the apartment to serve the warrant, police officers saw Jacobs leave the dwelling and point an assault rifle at the officers, according to charging documents.
Five officers said they either saw a flash from the rifle or heard Jacobs fire at them, but Jacobs denies shooting the rifle. The police officers then fired their weapons at Jacobs, but missed him, the documents said.
Jacobs dropped the rifle and ran, but was apprehended shortly afterward by patrol officers, charging documents state. No one was injured.
“Jacobs confessed that he had the weapon in his hands, he knew that those approaching him were police, they told him to ?stop,? and that the weapon was loaded at the time of the incident,” charging documents state.
Police said a check of the rifle?s chamber showed 13 rounds in a magazine that holds 20 rounds.
Jacobs is charged with the attempted murder of each of the 14 officers approaching him when he pulled out the weapon.
Jacobs is being held at the Howard County Detention Center.
