On Monday morning, January 23, an incident that police are describing as an “officer-involved shooting” in Lanham resulted in almost eight hours of searching for the driver who fled the scene. It culminated in his arrest at the Greenway Center. Twenty-year-old Tyler Clendenen, a Greenbelt resident, is now charged with assaulting two Prince George’s County police officers as well as multiple firearms offenses.
Suspicious Vehicle
At 8:40 a.m., a resident of Hickory Hill Avenue in Lanham made a 911 call to report a suspicious occupied car – a four-door black sedan – whose horn had been sounding for about two hours. Two uniformed Prince George’s County police officers responded and approached the car to talk to the driver.
Driver’s Gun
An initial police statement said that “during the interaction the suspect produced a gun,” according to the PGPDNews Twitter account. However, at the Monday afternoon press conference, held while police were still searching for the driver, it was reported that the officer on the passenger side had noticed a gun, thought to have been on the passenger seat.
Two Weapons Fired
The officer on the driver’s side of the car attempted to get the driver out of his car “or secure that individual,” said Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz. When the driver grabbed for his weapon, the officer on the passenger side tried to secure it, ultimately taking hold of the gun. A round from the driver’s gun was discharged within the car. The second officer on the driver’s side of the car then shot his weapon. At the press conference, Aziz was unable to say if the driver’s gun was fired while in the hands of the officer who took it or the driver. How the weapon was discharged is the subject of an investigation, he said, and emphasized that it was something that took place in a matter of seconds. At that time Aziz also did not yet know how many times the second officer fired, saying they were still investigating. At the time of the press conference, Aziz could confirm that no officers were injured but it was uncertain if the driver had been struck by any gunfire.
Arrested in Greenbelt
Officers pursued the car but lost sight of it a short distance away, reported Aziz. The hours-long search then encompassed surrounding areas. The license plate on the car was determined to be from another vehicle. The driver was finally apprehended at approximately 4:40 p.m. at the Smoothie King in Greenway Center and taken into custody without further incident. He had not been injured.
Proliferation of Weapons
Asked about the weapon that the police took before the driver fled the scene, Aziz said they didn’t yet know if the driver’s gun was a ghost gun but noted that “the proliferation of guns is high in this county and across the region.” In 2021, he said, 252 ghost guns were seized, and over 900 guns in total. In 2022, over 1,200 guns were seized, including 321 ghost guns, and this January they have already seized almost 40 weapons, including 16 ghost guns, he reported.
Ongoing Investigations
The Internal Affairs Division is investigating the actions of the officers. The officer who fired his gun, identified as a 16-year veteran, is on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, which is standard procedure.
Greenbelt Man Held
The Major Crimes Division is investigating the actions of the suspect, who was identified on Tuesday afternoon as 20-year-old Tyler Clendenen. Though initially described as a “Lanham man,” court documents show Clendenen’s address changed from Lanham to Greenbelt sometime in 2022. He is charged with assaulting two Prince George’s County police officers (felony first-degree assault), reckless endangerment, illegal possession of a firearm, loaded handgun on person, loaded handgun in vehicle, possession of a firearm as a minor and other firearm offenses. There was already a warrant for his arrest for failure to appear on other, unrelated charges in December. He is now being held without bond.