Pr. George's Officer Faces Assault Charges, Possible Termination

A 13-year veteran of the Prince George’s County Police Department is facing possible termination and other penalties as a result of misdeameanor allegations -- including assault -- filed against him Friday that stem from a February arrest.

Cpl. Donald Taylor faces charges of second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, false statements and misconduct in office from a shooting on Feb. 3 in Brentwood, according to Kevin Davis, the department’s assistant chief of police.

Taylor was suspended the next day after internal affairs personnel determined that video footage of that night’s incident did not match the statement Taylor had given. He has been on administrative duty since, police said.

“We want to get on top of these critical incidents when they occur,” Davis said. “If any discrepancies exist whatsoever we want to identify them immediately, like we did in this case, and take the appropriate action.”

While on duty in February, Taylor and another officer observed that two men were acting suspiciously near a gas station in the 3800 block of Rhode Island Avenue of Brentwood, police said.

Taylor’s version stated that Ryan Dorm, then 19, was trying to rob the gas station, attempted to flee the scene when the officers approached and reached for a gun, prompting Taylor to fire his weapon, The Gazette reported. 

Taylor had originally described circumstances requiring use of force with his firearm and charged Dorm with various crimes he did not commit, police said.

According to Davis, Taylor’s account did not match video surveillance footage capturing the incident, and the charges against Dorm were dropped.

Police say the state’s attorney’s office has about 180 days to prosecute Taylor, and regardless of what happens in court, he still faces an administrative investigation and could lose his job.

The second officer, who was not named, will not face charges from the state’s attorney’s office but is under administrative investigation and remains suspended, police said. 

Additionally, a suspension hearing is scheduled for Monday to determine whether Taylor will be suspended without pay, according to police.