Two Arrested After Crowd Confronts Baltimore Police During West Baltimore Arrest

Keishawn Garner, 22, had to be physically pulled from a car by multiple officers after bystanders closed in on a street arrest in the 1300 block of North Carey Street last week, court records show. A second person, Ashley Torrence, 23, allegedly approached officers with her arms raised and "appeared about to strike" them. Both were charged and transported to the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Facility.

The confrontation began around 3 p.m. on March 9, when officers went to the North Carey Street block to arrest a man whose identity has not been publicly disclosed. A group of pedestrians approached as officers worked the scene, and charging documents state officers "formed a barrier on the sidewalk to prevent the group of pedestrians from interfering" with the arrest.

Garner attempted to enter a car during the commotion, and court records state that multiple officers had "to push in and pull Mr. Garner from a car he attempted to enter." Police allege Torrence moved to intervene in Garner's arrest specifically, advancing on officers with arms raised overhead in what charging documents describe as an apparent attempt to strike them.

The situation drew additional onlookers beyond the initial group. "This assault on police and disorderly conduct gathered a large crowd who all began to observe the commotion that was spiraling into the city street obstructing the free flow of traffic," according to the charging documents.

Officers removed both Garner and Torrence from the scene before transporting them to Central Booking. Formal charge counts and bail information have not been made public. No information has been released on whether any officers sustained injuries during the confrontation, and the identity of the man officers had originally come to arrest also remains undisclosed.

The incident on North Carey Street is the latest in a series of street-level confrontations that have drawn scrutiny to policing in Baltimore neighborhoods. Separately, a February 15 incident in southwest Baltimore resulted in the arrest of three 14-year-olds after one drove a Kia sedan in reverse into a parked vehicle while officer William Cole, a five-year department veteran, approached the car in the 800 block of West Lombard Street. Cole sustained ankle injuries and was treated and released. The Baltimore Police Department's Special Investigations Response Team is investigating that case.