A new stolen-car crash in Sparrows Point is the latest in a string of 2026 cases involving juveniles accused of carjackings, robberies, gun crimes and homicide across Maryland.

BALTIMORE, MD — Two juveniles were arrested after a stolen-car crash in Sparrows Point over the weekend, adding another case to a months-long series of incidents across Maryland involving young suspects, stolen vehicles, armed robberies, carjackings and violent crime.

Baltimore County police said officers were called around 2:35 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, to Bay Shore Road and North Point Road after a driver reported that someone had thrown an object at a vehicle during an apparent road-rage incident.

As officers responded, the suspects crashed near Lincoln Avenue and Lodge Farm Road and ran from the stolen vehicle. Two juveniles were arrested nearby and taken to hospitals with minor injuries. Police said no other vehicles were struck, while another suspect remained at large.

The incident comes after a summer in which police departments and prosecutors across Maryland repeatedly announced juvenile arrests in cases ranging from armed carjackings to homicide.

17-Year-Old Charged in 23 Cases

One of the largest cases emerged in June, when Baltimore prosecutors announced charges against a group of juveniles and young adults accused of participating in a multijurisdictional violent-crime spree.

The Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office said a 17-year-old defendant was charged in 23 separate cases, including the May 7 killing of Jamal Ferguson during an attempted carjacking on Fairview Avenue.

Charging documents allege Ferguson, 38, was inside a vehicle when armed suspects approached and ordered the occupants out. Ferguson attempted to drive away and was shot multiple times.

Investigators linked the same group to 22 additional carjackings, robberies and related incidents between April 23 and May 24 across Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Howard County.

Five juvenile defendants and three adults were charged as part of the investigation.

Baltimore Leaders Publicly Raised Concerns

That case prompted unusually direct criticism of the juvenile justice system from Baltimore officials themselves.

Mayor Brandon Scott said during the June announcement that repeated arrests involving young offenders showed parts of the system were not functioning as intended.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley similarly described the allegations as evidence of the continuing challenges posed by violent juvenile crime.

At the same time, Baltimore’s overall violent-crime numbers were moving in the opposite direction.

The Baltimore Police Department’s midyear report showed homicides down 23% through July 1 compared with the same point in 2025, from 65 to 50. Nonfatal shootings were also down slightly.

That broader decline does not eliminate concern surrounding individual juvenile cases, but it provides important context: several high-profile incidents occurred during a period when overall homicide numbers in Baltimore were falling.

Armed Carjackings Involving 13-Year-Olds

Baltimore County police also arrested two 13-year-olds in early July following back-to-back armed carjackings.

The first occurred near Greenspring Valley Road and Reisterstown Road in Owings Mills. A second was reported near York Road and Towsontown Boulevard in Towson.

Police later located the juveniles in Woodlawn.

The cases drew additional attention because of the suspects’ ages and because both incidents allegedly involved firearms.

Juveniles Arrested in West Baltimore Carjacking

Baltimore police reported another carjacking July 1 in West Baltimore, where investigators said two juveniles robbed a 39-year-old man of his vehicle at gunpoint on Murphy Lane.

The incident occurred the same night a 15-year-old boy was shot elsewhere in the city.

Those cases were separate, but they contributed to a growing public discussion over the involvement of teenagers in violent offenses involving guns and stolen vehicles.

Teen Charged in Killing of Two Children

In another high-profile case, Giovanna “Gigi” Myrie, 15, and her 9-year-old brother Steve Allen were found fatally shot inside a home on Talles Road in Gwynn Oak in July.

A 16-year-old was later charged as an adult with two counts of first-degree murder.

The killings became one of the most serious juvenile-related criminal cases of the summer and intensified calls from police officials and prosecutors for greater attention to youth violence.

16-Year-Old Charged With February Murder

Baltimore police also arrested a 16-year-old in July in connection with the Feb. 28 killing of 35-year-old Quinton McLellan on Ashland Avenue.

Police served the murder warrant while the teenager was already in juvenile booking on an unrelated case.

The teenager was charged as an adult with first-degree murder, first-degree assault and additional offenses.

Three 14-Year-Olds Found in Carjacked Vehicle

Another case followed Aug. 8 after Baltimore officers received an automated license-plate-reader alert for a vehicle reported stolen during a carjacking.

Police located the vehicle on North Avenue and stopped it near Homewood Avenue.

Three 14-year-old boys were inside, according to police, and officers recovered a loaded handgun.

All three were taken to juvenile booking.

Ocean City Confronts Social-Media Takeovers

Juvenile crime concerns were not limited to the Baltimore region.

Ocean City spent much of the summer dealing with large gatherings promoted through social media, some of which resulted in arrests, assaults and gun recoveries.

The Ocean City Police Department said in June that it was monitoring what it described as a growing national trend of social-media-driven “takeover” events.

Police said one planned gathering prompted a multijurisdictional investigation involving Baltimore police, Worcester County authorities and federal law-enforcement partners.

During the July 4 weekend, Ocean City police also investigated robberies, assaults and several juvenile handgun cases.

In one incident, a 16-year-old was arrested with a loaded handgun near 3rd Street. A separate stop resulted in the arrest of a 17-year-old carrying another loaded handgun.

Armed Robbery Inside Montgomery County School

The juvenile-crime debate extended into Montgomery County last week.

Police said a 15-year-old Northwest High School student in Germantown was robbed at gunpoint inside a school bathroom Sept. 17.

Investigators said another 15-year-old pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded money.

Police later located four teenagers about two miles from the school. A K9 search of nearby woods recovered a loaded Polymer80 handgun with an extended magazine.

Three teenagers were charged. The 15-year-old robbery suspect was charged as a juvenile and detained at the Cheltenham Youth Detention Center, while two older teens faced adult firearm charges.

One Attorney General Candidate Blames Brown

The succession of cases has also entered Maryland’s 2026 attorney general campaign.

Republican nominee Jim Rutledge issued a statement Tuesday blaming incumbent Democratic Attorney General Anthony Brown for what Rutledge characterized as inadequate state action on juvenile crime.

“That is not a series of bad weekends,” Rutledge said. “That is a long summer of unchecked juvenile crime.”

Rutledge argued that Brown, as the state’s chief legal officer, should take a more aggressive role in addressing violent juvenile offenses and said the Sparrows Point crash was another example of what he views as a broader accountability problem.

Brown and Rutledge are both listed by the Maryland State Board of Elections as candidates in the Nov. 3 attorney general election.

Attorney General Does Not Control Most Local Juvenile Cases

Maryland’s attorney general does have a criminal division capable of handling organized crime, gang activity, firearms trafficking, serial robberies, homicides and other complex cases.

But the office does not supervise most day-to-day criminal prosecutions involving juveniles.

The Maryland Attorney General’s Office states that county state’s attorneys and the Baltimore City State’s Attorney independently decide whether to file criminal charges and do not report to the attorney general.

That means many of the cases cited in the current political debate were investigated by local police and prosecuted by local state’s attorneys rather than Brown’s office.

Brown’s office has said its criminal division works with local, state and federal agencies on organized crime, firearms trafficking, violent felonies and other multijurisdictional cases.

The broader debate over juvenile crime therefore involves multiple parts of Maryland government — local prosecutors, police agencies, courts, the Department of Juvenile Services, lawmakers and, in some cases, the Attorney General’s Office.

The Sparrows Point case remains under investigation.

Two juveniles are in custody and police continue searching for an additional suspect.