WASHINGTON — A Rockville man who allegedly stole a hotel shuttle van because he “couldn’t get an Uber or a cab” was arrested Monday night after a low-speed pursuit involving Maryland State Police.
The pursuit began when a trooper saw a Residence Inn/Marriott Hotel shuttle van weaving across lanes of southbound Interstate 97 in the Crownsville area of Anne Arundel County. The trooper activated his lights and siren, but the van didn’t stop.
The driver continued south on I-97, weaving from the left shoulder to the right shoulder of the road at approximately 30 mph.
Additional police joined the pursuit, and the trooper managed to get in front of the van at the Severn River Bridge on U.S. Route 50. He deployed stop sticks, which disabled the van’s two left tires.
The van, which was reported stolen from the Springhill Suites in Arundel Mills, Maryland, continued across the bridge at approximately 5 mph.
The driver later turned onto Maryland Route 450, past the World War II Memorial and over the Naval Academy Bridge. Eventually, the van became disabled near the intersection of Annapolis Street and Monterey Avenue.
After a 90-minute standoff, the driver finally surrendered to police. Annapolis police’s SWAT Team was called to assist.
David Antonio Diaz, 25, of Rockville, now faces more than 15 charges, including unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, theft, first- and second-degree assault, attempting to elude uniformed police and reckless driving.
When asked “how he “got the vehicle,” Diaz told police he “couldn’t get an Uber or a cab, so he took it,” according to charging documents.
Diaz, who had been reported missing in Montgomery County, was taken into custody, charged and eventually released on his personal recognizance.
