Man Charged With Assault in Gaithersburg Officer-Involved Shooting

A 26-year-old man has been charged with multiple counts of assault and theft in connection with a June officer-involved shooting.

Montgomery County police charged Juan L. Cazares-Roque with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, theft $1,000 to $10,000, theft less than $1,000 and possession of an exposed shotgun in a motor vehicle.

On June 23, the Howard County Police Department began investigating a domestic incident involving a man firing a gun. Howard County police received information that led them to believe the suspect -- later identified as Cazares-Roque -- might be in the 14000 block of Quince Orchard Road in Gaithersburg driving a Ford Explorer.

Montgomery County police went to the area and saw Cazares-Roque get in the Ford Explorer and drive away. He was stopped at the intersection of Quince Orchard Road and Darnestown Road.

According to police, Officer David Delacruz saw Cazares-Roque reach for a shotgun and fired a shot from his rifle, hitting him in the arm and leg. He fled the scene with officers in pursuit but was stopped when his Ford Explorer hit another car at a red light at the intersection of Quince Orchard Road and Great Seneca Highway.

Officers took Cazares-Roque into custody. He was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
 

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The driver in the car he hit and the officers involved were not hurt.
 
The shotgun in Cazares-Roque's car was later revealed to have been reported stolen from Baltimore County, police said.

Cazares-Roque was released from the hospital June 25. His court date is set for Aug. 16.
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