Man charged in off-duty officer shooting

OVERLEA, Md (WMAR) - An 18-year-old man is behind bars Friday and facing attempted first degree murder charges for shooting an off-duty officer.

Baltimore County Police say Michael Jabateh of the 100 block of Commodore Drive in Essex shot one of their officers on December 9th in Overlea.

A police investigation has revealed that nearly 100 guests were asked to leave a house party inside a home in the 700 block of Dale Avenue when a fight broke out.

Once the off-duty officer turned down the street, he honked his horn to signal the crowd to move out of the street. 

The officer reported coming to a complete stop due to the large crowds.

County police say an unknown person yelled that the off-duty officer had a gun, and Jabateh emerged from the crowd firing several shots into the door of the vehicle.

The officer was injured and received treatment at Shock Trauma.

Officers conducted surveillance on Thursday, and attempted to arrest Jabateh when he ran away.

Police tell ABC2 News that Jabateh dropped a gun that they have linked to the shooting of their officer.

Jabateh has been arrested and charged with attempted first degree murder, first degree assault, and related charges.

He is currently being held at Baltimore County Detention Center without bail.