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Officer Richard J Lear

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Officer Richard J Lear

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Shortly after 11:00 p.m. on October 8, 1985, alarms were sounding at several locations in the 5300 block of York Road. A marked police vehicle responded and so did Officer Lear. To get to the scene, Officer Lear had to cross several lanes of York Road. As he crossed, he was struck by a northbound vehicle traveling well above the posted speed limit. The driver never stopped. Doctors at Sinai Hospital pronounced him dead just before midnight. Miles away in Baltimore County, Police stopped a vehicle which they saw was being driven in an erratic manner. The operator was arrested. A short time later, a civilian who knew of the traffic accident, which killed Officer Lear, spotted the car in a parking lot and notified authorities that, in turn, called Baltimore Police Accident Investigators to the scene. The automobile was transported to the Headquarters Building for processing. As a result of the investigation, charges of Automobile Manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident, driving while intoxicated and excessive speed were filed against a 29-year-old Baltimore resident. Officer Richard Lear was a veteran of 31 years on the department.

Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll

More details

NameDescription
End of Watch October 8, 1985
City, St. York Road
Panel Number 20-E: 15
Cause of Death Auto Accident
District Worked Northern
Read 4284 times Last modified on Wednesday, 22 January 2020 07:21
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