Baltimore County man arrested for going to crash survivor's home, making threats while armed

A Baltimore County man is behind bars and facing assault and weapons charges after police said he went to the neighborhood of a 16-year-old recovering from a serious car crash and threatened that teen's mother and others in the community.

Police found more than a dozen weapons inside the suspect's home, a short distance away. 

The suspect was denied bail during a court appearance on Tuesday afternoon. He has no lawyer listed in court records and faces up to 55 years in prison if convicted. 

How the incident unfolded

Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough spoke to WJZ about the incident that happened Sunday evening.

Chief McCullough said an armed suspect, 39-year-old Imtiaz Sami, confronted people in the Lutherville-Timonium neighborhood of Liam O'Donoghue. 

O'Donoghue,16, had just returned home on Friday after undergoing multiple surgeries and losing his arm following a car crash that claimed the lives of two of his friends. 

"It is our belief that he was specifically looking for that family. He was expressing his outrage to the neighbors about this young man and specifically that car crash and his feelings about that," McCullough told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. 

"We're grateful that this didn't turn out to be tragic," McCullough said. "This could've been worse."

According to charging documents WJZ Investigates obtained, earlier that same day, Sami made disparaging comments about the family on social media. 

O'Donoghue's mother told police she recognized the suspect from his social media messages to her. 

During the encounter, she told officers Sami "made the comment that my kid shouldn't have lived" and told her he was armed.

Documents stated she told police "she was afraid for her life and her children's [lives]."

A WJZ employee who lives in the community witnessed the incident and was also threatened when he tried to intervene.

According to police, Sami said, "You don't want to mess with me. I am armed."

"Fortunately, the victim and others in this case were able to get his tag number and a good description," McCullough said. 

The arrest 

Police tracked Sami to his home and arrested him without incident. 

They learned he had a history of owning firearms and executed a search warrant.

Inside, officers found multiple weapons and ammunition.

"They were able to recover 15 firearms, 12 of which were shotguns and rifles and three of which were handguns," McCullough said. "There are a lot of people out there who are troubled, who have issues. It's never a good idea to ride around with a firearm in the car with you for any reason—especially a loaded firearm."

Chief McCullough wanted to remind residents that anyone dealing with a mental health crisis may call 988 and also access the 988 helpline online.