An anonymous tip has led to the apprehension of Joseph Timothy Thompson, the suspect wanted for a shooting that occurred Aug. 5 in Indian Head, the Charles County Sheriff's Office announces.
The Sheriff's Office learned Thompson, 23, of no fixed address, was traveling in a silver passenger vehicle in the Indian Head area. At approximately 12:50 a.m. Aug. 21, officers saw a vehicle matching that description traveling on Hawthorne Road and followed it for a short distance. The driver pulled into a parking lot in the 4400 block of Hawthorne Road and stopped. As officers approached the vehicle, two men fled on foot. One of the men was apprehended when he exited the vehicle but the other, later identified as Thompson, fled on foot into the woods. Two women remained in the vehicle. One of the women was identified as Jamilah Alease Abdullah, 23, of Indian Head, who was wanted by the Sheriff's Office on motor vehicle theft charges. She was placed under arrest. Officers also identified the other woman, who was driving the vehicle, and the man they apprehended, but their identities are not being released because they have not been charged with a crime. A K9 team quickly responded and conducted a search for Thompson. The K9 unit apprehended Thompson minutes later nearby in a wooded area.
Thompson was served with three warrants, including the warrant charging him with attempted second degree murder, first degree assault and other charges related to the Aug. 5 shooting in which Thompson, Charles McCleland Shorter, 21, of Indian Head and Carlos Antonio Watson, 15, of La Plata shot a 25-year-old Indian Head man who they were attempting to rob. That shooting occurred about 2 p.m. behind a vacant building in the 4600 block of Indian Head Highway. The victim was flown by a Maryland State Police helicopter to Baltimore Shock Trauma and survived his injuries. The victim met Shorter the day before the shooting occurred. When they arranged to meet the following day, Shorter, Thompson and Watson robbed and shot him. The incident appears to be drug-related. Shorter was arrested shortly after the incident occurred and Watson was arrested Aug. 12 in Colonial Beach, Va., and charged as an adult.
Thompson is also the suspect in another shooting that occurred Aug. 10 about 10:30 p.m. in the 3400 block of Medway Street in Bryans Road. No charges have been filed in the investigation.
One of Thompson's other warrants charges him with escaping the Southern Maryland Pre-Release Unit. The Maryland State Police investigated that incident. Another warrant was issued Aug. 9 for first degree assault, second degree assault and possession of a deadly weapon with intent to injure. Those charges are related to an incident that occurred July 27 during which Thompson assaulted a woman at a residence on Jameson Court. The victim knew Thompson and the incident was not related to either of the shootings.
Detectives are investigating whether Thompson was involved in any other crimes. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Major Crimes Unit at 301-609-6496 or Charles County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS. Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information about a crime that leads to an arrest or indictment. Thompson and Watson are being held at the Charles County Detention Center without bond. Shorter is being held there on $75,000 bond.