--- title: No Charges Filed in August 25, 2026 Fatal Police-Involved Collision, Brown Says canonical: https://marylandfeed.com/no-charges-filed-in-august-25-2026-fatal-police-involved-collision-brown-says/ published: '2026-11-10T13:57:34-05:00' updated: '2026-11-10T13:57:34-05:00' author: MarylandFeed Staff section: Attorney General places: - Charles County tags: - Attorney General - Traffic - Crime - Driving - Police Shootings source: Office of the Attorney General of Maryland source_url: https://oag.maryland.gov/News/pages/attorney-general-brown-announces-no-charges-will-be-filed-in-the-august-25%2c-2026-fatal-police-involved-collision-in-brandyw.aspx publisher: MarylandFeed attribution: Copyright MarylandFeed. Quote with credit to MarylandFeed and a link to the canonical URL above. --- # No Charges Filed in August 25, 2026 Fatal Police-Involved Collision, Brown Says On November 10, 2026, Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced that no charges will be filed in connection with the fatal police-involved collision that occurred on August 25, 2026, in Brandywine, Maryland. The investigation by the Office of the Attorney General concluded that the officers involved did not commit a crime under Maryland law. The incident involved a felony traffic stop by the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, which resulted in a pursuit and a head-on collision, leading to the death of one passenger, Alexis Cummings. A detailed report of the investigation is available [here](https://oag.maryland.gov/resources-info/Documents/pdfs/IID/26-IID-017%20FINAL_Declination%20Report-8.25.26%20Charles%20County%20Vehicle%20Pursuit%20%28Cummings%29.pdf). --- ### Press Release: Office of the Attorney General of Maryland *Published November 10, 2026. Reproduced in full from the [Office of the Attorney General of Maryland](https://oag.maryland.gov/News/pages/attorney-general-brown-announces-no-charges-will-be-filed-in-the-august-25%2c-2026-fatal-police-involved-collision-in-brandyw.aspx).* #### Attorney General Brown Announces No Charges Will Be Filed in the August 25, 2026 Fatal Police-Involved Collision in Brandywine **BALTIMORE, MD**: Today, Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced his decision not to seek charges in the August 25, 2026 fatal police-involved collision that occurred in Brandywine, Maryland, and involved the Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General found that the subject officers did not commit a crime under Maryland law. On August 25, 2026, at approximately 10:21 a.m., multiple CCSO officers, including Corporal Justin Bottorf and PFC Eddie Vanover, conducted a felony traffic stop of a Toyota sedan at the request of the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD). ACPD believed that a person wanted on more than twenty warrants across multiple jurisdictions was inside the vehicle. Officers Bottorf and Vanover located the Toyota and activated their lights and sirens on eastbound MD‑5 near Lakewood Place in St. Charles, Maryland. Vanover exited his patrol car to conduct the stop while Bottorf remained inside his vehicle. The driver complied and pulled to the shoulder. At the time of the stop, the Toyota contained three occupants: the driver, a front‑seat passenger (Jane Doe), and a back‑seat passenger later identified as Alexis Cummings. The driver was instructed to exit the vehicle and complied. Once she got out of the car, Doe suddenly climbed over the center console into the driver’s seat. PFC Vanover attempted to remove her but was unsuccessful. Doe then drove away at a high rate of speed with Cummings still in the back seat. Bottorf immediately pursued the fleeing vehicle with lights and sirens activated, and Vanover followed shortly behind. Officers lost sight of the Toyota while traveling northbound on US‑301. They regained visual contact when they observed the vehicle driving northbound in the southbound lanes of US‑301, directly into oncoming traffic. Doe continued in this direction until she collided head‑on with an uninvolved motorist, bringing the vehicle to a stop. The pursuit lasted for approximately 5.1 miles over the course of roughly four minutes. Officers on scene rendered aid until emergency services arrived. All occupants were transported to a local hospital. Cummings was pronounced dead at the hospital. Doe and the uninvolved motorist were treated for their injuries and subsequently released. No officers were injured during the incident. The Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division (IID) began investigating this fatal police-involved collision on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, and concluded its investigation on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. After completing its investigation and evaluating all the available evidence, the Office of the Attorney General has determined that the officers did not commit a crime under Maryland law. Accordingly, the Attorney General has declined to prosecute the officers in this case. A copy of the IID’s detailed investigative findings and analysis of relevant legal issues can be found in its [declination report](https://oag.maryland.gov/resources-info/Documents/pdfs/IID/26-IID-017%20FINAL_Declination%20Report-8.25.26%20Charles%20County%20Vehicle%20Pursuit%20%28Cummings%29.pdf). Source: [Office of the Attorney General of Maryland](https://oag.maryland.gov/News/pages/attorney-general-brown-announces-no-charges-will-be-filed-in-the-august-25%2c-2026-fatal-police-involved-collision-in-brandyw.aspx)