Man charged with threatening family of Cockeysville crash survivor with gun

A Timonium man is being held without bail after allegedly threatening and brandishing a semiautomatic gun at the family of Liam O’Donoghue, a 16-year-old Calvert Hall student who lost an arm in a car crash that killed two of his friends last month.

Imtiaz Sami, 39, allegedly pointed a semiautomatic handgun at WJZ anchor Rick Ritter, a neighbor of the O’Donoghue family, around 5:45 p.m. Sunday. He yelled curses at Liam’s mother, blamed Liam for the crash and said “it’s a shame he got to survive this,” according to court documents.

Baltimore County District Court Judge Michael Siri denied bail for Sami at a Tuesday afternoon hearing.

“The court finds you a danger to the community,” Siri said, noting that children were playing outside near the O’Donoghues’ Timonium home when Sami allegedly aimed the gun at Ritter.

Sami, who has a gray beard and wore glasses and a yellow jumpsuit at the hearing, appeared via video. He spoke clearly, replying “yes” when Siri asked if he understood the charges.

Sami’s attorney, Peter Prevas, said he was a divorced father of two teenage girls, including one who attended Dulaney High School with one boy who died following the crash. Sami’s younger daughter attends Ridgely Middle School, Prevas said, where Liam’s younger brothers are students.

Prevas said that Sami had multiple health issues and had undergone a quadruple bypass. “Some mental health issues may be driving this,” he told the judge.

According to court documents, Liam’s mother, Fanya O’Donoghue, told police that she received Facebook messages from a person named “Sam Sami” around 5:30 p.m. Sunday accusing the boys of reckless behavior and saying she was “milking” the situation.

About 15 minutes later, Ritter, who had been playing outside with his children, heard loud noises and noticed a dark Volkswagen in front of his home, according to court documents.

Ritter told police that Sami insulted Liam and blamed him for the accident, court documents say. Sami also yelled at Liam’s mother, who was standing in her front yard, saying that her son should not have survived.

Sami told her, “You don’t want to mess with me. I am armed,” then took out a black semiautomatic handgun, the documents say. He pulled the slide back, making an “audible click,” and pointed it at Ritter.

Ritter, whose children were nearby, raised his hands and backed into his home. Sami then sped off, according to the documents. Ritter told police multiple times that he was “in fear for his life and his family’s life.”

The O’Donoghues declined to comment. Ritter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Police arrested Sami at his parents’ home on Hathaway Road in Timonium — about a mile from the O’Donoghues’ home — around 11:15 p.m. Sunday. They found 15 guns, ammunition and magazines scattered throughout the house, including on a couch, in a laundry room and in a bedroom closet, according to court documents.

Sami is charged with first- and second-degree assault and use of a handgun during the commission of a crime of violence.

Prevas said that Sami is a 2005 Dulaney graduate who has a bachelor’s degree in business management and worked for Bread Financial.

Sami’s mother, Nazneen Akhter, said outside the courtroom that she did not know what had prompted her son’s actions.

“He’s not that kind of guy,” she said.

Liam O’Donoghue returned home last weekend after being hospitalized for nearly a month following a May 1 crash at the intersection of Merrymans Mill and Poplar Hill roads in Cockeysville.

His friend Ryan Duvall, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Another friend, Andrew Sober, 16, the driver of the vehicle, died six days later. A fourth friend was also injured and survived.

Liam’s left arm was amputated in the crash and he broke both of his femurs.

He was airlifted to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, where he underwent a series of operations before being released to Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital.

Baltimore County Police have not released a cause of the crash, which remains under investigation.