A Baltimore Police officer was indicted after he was seen in a viral video chasing a person with a police cruiser in late October, State's Attorney Ivan Bates announced Wednesday.

Robert A. Parks is facing charges of second-degree attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault, reckless driving, and misconduct in office. If he is found guilty of all charges, Parks could face a maximum prison sentence of 65 years, according to Bates. 

Officer Parks was suspended without pay on Tuesday after he was seen in a video driving aggressively in a marked police vehicle through Baltimore's Park Heights neighborhood, nearly running someone over. He has been with the Baltimore Police Department since 2020.

Parks turned himself in to the police on Wednesday morning.

"The charges brought forward in this indictment reflect the seriousness and dangerous nature of the actions we all witnessed in the viral video of Officer Parks driving his vehicle directly at a civilian while on duty," Bates said. 

Viral Baltimore police chase

Parks initially had his police powers suspended and was working in an administrative capacity after the video was shared on social media in late October, according to the police department.

According to the indictment, the incident began on Oct. 28, around 5 p.m., when Parks drove to a store in the 3100 block of Wylie Avenue. He allegedly stopped near a group of individuals standing on a sidewalk, telling them, "It's getting a little hot, guys. I just need you guys to take a lap." 

When the individuals began to leave, the indictment alleges that Parks got back into his patrol vehicle and drove a short distance, stopping near a curb where one of the individuals was. He called the person by name and motioned for the person to approach, but the person walked away. 

According to the indictment, Parks then returned to his vehicle and got on the radio, saying, "I have one running, adult male in the alley." 

Parks then drove his vehicle onto a paved driveway, following the civilian as he ran to a grassy area. Parks allegedly hit the person with his vehicle before the person ran toward Wylie Avenue. 

The indictment alleges that Parks continued to follow the person onto a sidewalk, through an alley and into a backyard. The man jumped over a fence before fleeing, the indictment said. 

"This officer's actions were unacceptable, and completely at odds with how we expect our public servants to act," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement. "We are thankful to our partners in the State's Attorney's office for their work, and will be closely following the outcome of this trial. If convicted, the officer will be fired immediately, in accordance with the law."

What the indictment says

The eight-page indictment says Parks drove up to the Wiley Liquor Store and told a bunch of people on the sidewalk, "It's getting a little hot, guys. I need you guys to take a lap, you know."

The indictment states that when the group dispersed, he got back in the car and followed one of the men up the street, motioning for him to come over.

When the man said no, the officer allegedly told the man, "Don't make it worse. I'm going to be straight up with you, you got it coming."

When the man walked away, the chase allegedly began.

Bates said the man had a warrant for a misdemeanor charge, but that Parks' actions that day were "unacceptable" and not in accordance with policy.

Mayor Scott commended the State's Attorney's Office for their work, and added that Parks' alleged actions are, "completely at odds with how we expect our public servants to act."

Police chase prompts internal investigation

The Baltimore Police Department said it opened an internal affairs investigation and was reviewing the officer's body-worn camera footage.

"What is seen in this video is not only disturbing, but alarming," Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said. "This is not how we expect our officers to behave, and this incident does not reflect the values or standards of the Baltimore Police Department. 

According to Bates, Officer Parks violated two police department policies by using his "motor vehicle as a weapon" to hit a civilian. The use of force and operation of emergency vehicle policies are "combined to prevent this type of pursuit," Bates said. 

"These are the charges we would bring forward for anyone operating a vehicle in that manner," Bates said. "Whether you're police or a civilian." 

While the investigation remains open, Bates said local prosecutors have been instructed not to use Parks as a witness and to re-evaluate any cases in which he is a key witness. 

"When a police officer threatens the safety of those they are sworn to protect, it erodes that crucial trust between the community and law enforcement that is critical to the historic reductions in violent crime in our city and essential to keeping Baltimore safe," Bates said. 

"That's not what we teach our officers to do," Worley said. "It's not what we want our officers doing, and it's going to damage our relationship with the community, which is the thing that we're trying to build up the most."

Neighbors react to viral video

Park Heights residents told WJZ they were surprised when they saw a police vehicle had crashed into a neighbor's fence after chasing a man through their neighborhood.

"I expected more than this. It's not safe," T Man told WJZ. "It's scary to me now to bring my trash here because I have to look because I don't know what's going to come."

Elijah Monte had a different reaction, saying he wasn't as shocked to hear what had happened.

"It's crazy a police officer is trying to run somebody over for supposedly nothing," Monte said. "I feel like the police aren't looking out for the people; they're looking out for a quota or something like that. It's scary for our people to have the police hop out on us like that, especially when we feel like we haven't done anything wrong."