Baltimore man pleads guilty to drug, weapons charges after 2023 police foot pursuit

A Baltimore man pleaded guilty to drug and weapons charges Monday after he was arrested following a foot pursuit with police in 2023.

Quran Cox, 33, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

In December 2023, a Baltimore police detective was monitoring the 100 block of West Hamburg Street using a CitiWatch camera when he saw Cox holding and manipulating a package of suspected drugs, according to police.

When officers arrived to arrest Cox, he ran down an alley and into the courtyards of an apartment complex, leading police on a foot pursuit.

Police said Cox reached into his waistband with both hands as he ran. Officers ordered him to "stop running," "stop digging" and "put it down," believing he was reaching for a firearm.

Officers caught up with Cox after he slipped and fell on the grass. Police said they found a loaded magazine on the ground near Cox's right hand and a firearm in his left hand.

The firearm was loaded with one round of ammunition in the chamber and six additional rounds in the magazine, according to police.

A subsequent search of Cox turned up 53 gelcaps of fentanyl, 22 bags of cocaine and $167 in cash, police said. Detectives also recovered a key to Cox's vehicle, which was parked on the same block. Inside the vehicle, police found 14 additional rounds of ammunition in the driver's door pocket.

Cox is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 9.

He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. He also faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum sentence of life in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.