Prince George's judge denies bond in violent county shooting rampage

A Prince George’s County judge ordered 68-year-old Larry James Simpson held without bond after prosecutors laid out an hourlong shooting and carjacking spree that cut across northern Prince George’s County and left schools briefly locked down.

Simpson, of Glen Burnie, is facing 66 charges in the May 15 violence, including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted second-degree murder. Police said six people were injured as the gunfire moved from College Park to East Riverdale and Riverdale Park, turning a string of neighborhood streets into active crime scenes within minutes.

Police Chief George Nader said the first report came around 2:30 p.m. in the 5100 block of Pierce Avenue in College Park. About 20 minutes later, a 64-year-old man was shot at and glass from a shattered window cut his face. Around 3 p.m., police reported a crash and more gunfire near 67th Avenue and Patterson Street in East Riverdale.

Prosecutors say the violence did not stop there. Simpson allegedly shot at and carjacked a woman near Good Luck Road and Kenilworth Avenue in Riverdale Park, then fled in her vehicle. An off-duty Prince George’s County police officer, driving his personal vehicle and unarmed, followed Simpson after being alerted by his wife, who is also a police officer, and relayed the suspect’s location to responding units.

The pursuit ended on Edmonston Road, where police say Simpson fired at the off-duty officer and then pointed a gun at U.S. Park Police officers as they arrived. Simpson dropped the weapon and was taken into custody. Officers recovered an AR-15 rifle. Two victims were hospitalized, one in critical condition and another with life-threatening injuries, and Simpson was also taken to a hospital for crash-related injuries.

Nearby schools were temporarily placed on lockdown before the restrictions were lifted. The case has also pushed Simpson’s past back into view. State’s Attorney Tara Jackson said he had been convicted of murder in 1987 in Beltsville and sentenced to life plus 40 years, then served 35 years before being released in October 2023 after a 2022 post-conviction motion for a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Jackson said prosecutors are still trying to determine the rationale for his release and said there have been no other known legal incidents involving Simpson since then. Simpson waived his right to a bond review on Monday and remains in custody, with a preliminary hearing set for June 15, 2026, unless a grand jury indictment makes that hearing unnecessary. Nader called the off-duty officer’s pursuit “vital” and said he had not seen such bravery in his 33 years of service.