Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Fugitive Charged in Gaithersburg Shooting

Manhunt underway for Daniel Floyd Lucas, who has a history of eluding police.

UPDATE 3 p.m. Jan. 10 -- Montgomery County Police have named their suspect in the Jan. 7 shooting that hospitalized a by-stander to the early morning dispute in Gaithersburg.

Daniel Floyd Lucas, 19, of no fixed address, has been charged with three counts of first-degree assault and three counts of reckless endangerment in connection with Saturday's shooting. Shortly after 6 a.m., police say, Lucas got into an altercation in a townhouse in the Montgomery Meadows community off Watkins Mill Road. As Lucas and an unidentified person wrestled for a firearm, a third person was shot, according to police.

Police are asking the public for help in tracking Lucas down. Online court records for four previous arrests cite a home address on North Stone Street in Rockville.

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Lucas has a history of eluding authorities that goes back nearly three years. On Feb. 16, 2009—when he was 16—he jumped out of a vehicle while being transported to the county’s juvenile detention center in Rockville.

Despite a widespread search, he spent more than a month on the lam. On March 26, 2009, he pleaded guilty to second-degree escape and served six months in the Montgomery County Detention Center in Rockville, according to online court records.

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Lucas has since been arrested in Montgomery County at least three times—and has outstanding warrants in those three cases: a drug-related arrest in December 2010, another in August 2011, and a May 2011 arrest for misdemeanor theft and burglary-related charges.

On Oct. 13, he failed to appear at a hearing for the May arrest.

On Nov. 18, he failed to appear at a hearing for the August arrest, in which he had been indicted in Montgomery County Circuit Court on one charge of possession with intent to distribute and one charge of resisting arrest.

ORIGINAL STORY 6:15 p.m. Jan. 7 -- A by-stander was shot this morning in a Gaithersburg townhouse as two people wrestled for a gun during an altercation, leaving the victim in critical condition and the suspect at large.

Shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday, two unidentified individuals got into a dispute in the the 1200 block of Knoll Mist Lane—in the Montgomery Meadows community off Watkins Mill Road—according to Montgomery County police. The suspect retreived a firearm and a struggle ensued. An adult male not involved in the struggle was shot.

The victim was taken to a hospital. No arrests have been as of 6 p.m., according to a police spokeswoman. Police have not cited a cause for the altercation nor identified anyone involved.

Anyone who may have witnessed the shooting is asked to call police at 240-773-5070. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or 240-773-TIPS (8477). Crime Solvers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest and/or indictment. Anonymous tips can also be provided by texting “MCPD” plus the tip to 274637 (CRIMES).


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