Police: Man rammed troopers, charged with attempted murder

November 30, 2021

BEAR, Del. (AP) — A Maryland man is charged with attempted murder of officers after Delaware State Police said Tuesday that he rammed a stolen tow truck into three police vehicles.

Troopers responded to a report of someone in a tow truck going through vehicles in a collision center’s parking lot in Bear before 3 a.m. Monday. A trooper spotted the truck and tried to make contact at a dead end. But police said the truck struck trooper’s vehicle head-on, disabling it.

The tow truck then headed west on Pulaski Highway and smashed into a police SUV stationed on a median strip. The tow truck then pulled into a shopping center and two troopers initiated a traffic stop. As they got out of their SUV, police said the tow truck reversed into it, throwing one trooper from the vehicle. The other trooper fired and the truck crashed. The driver and passenger ran, but were taken into custody. The driver, John Collins, 30, of Perryville, Maryland, is charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder of an officer and several other offenses. He was ordered held on more than $3 million bond. It’s not clear whether he has an attorney.