A Gaithersburg man faces several charges after a Montgomery County Police officer spotted him driving a stolen motorcycle last weekend in downtown Silver Spring.
“On Friday, May 20, 2022, at approximately 5:45 p.m., an officer from the 3rd District was patrolling the intersection of Fenton St. and Ellsworth Dr. when he observed a red and black Kawasaki motorcycle without a registration plate,” MCPD said in a news release. “The officer observed the motorcycle turn onto Roeder Rd. and enter the parking garage in the 800 block of Ellsworth Drive.
“The officer located the motorcycle and the operator, later identified as Reginald Alden Banks Jr., in the garage. Upon seeing the officer, Banks fled the scene on foot. The officer observed that Banks was wearing an orange and gray backpack. After a brief foot pursuit, officers observed Banks emerge from a corner, no longer wearing the backpack. Banks was subsequently apprehended.
“At that same time, another officer was responding to the parking garage when he observed an orange and gray backpack on the sidewalk. Upon exiting his vehicle, several concerned citizens approached the officer and stated they witnessed the backpack fall from the parking garage and hit the sidewalk. When the officer opened the backpack, he located a loaded M-11 Uzi 9mm handgun with an extended magazine. Also, an undisclosed amount of cash, several bags of suspected powder cocaine, and hollow point and full metal jacket ammunition were located inside the backpack.
“Further investigation revealed that the motorcycle had been reported stolen from Loudoun County on September 27, 2021. Banks Jr. was transported to the Central Processing Unit (CPU), where he was charged with auto theft, multiple weapons offenses as a prohibited person, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance.”
MCPD Photo and Graphic
