Suspended DC cop pleads guilty to assault in Anne Arundel road rage case

A suspended Washington, D.C., police sergeant who was accused of brandishing her departmental firearm during an Anne Arundel County road rage incident last year was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months of supervised probation.

Kalia Crews, 30, has served with the Metropolitan Police Department since 2019 and was accused of displaying her firearm during a Dec. 18 road rage incident on westbound U.S. Route 50 near Interstate 97.

In Anne Arundel County Circuit Court on Tuesday, Crews entered an Alford plea to a charge of second-degree assault, meaning she maintained her innocence while accepting the state had enough evidence to convict her.

Police wrote in charging documents that the victim told police she was driving behind Crews when Crews abruptly applied her brakes multiple times, prompting the victim to change lanes. The victim told police that when she pulled parallel to Crews, the off-duty officer pulled out a holstered firearm and “waved it in the air.”

Maryland State Police arrested Crews on Dec. 31 near her Annapolis home.

Crews told police she was the victim and that the other individual had “terrorized” her for about 15 minutes, according to charging documents.

She acknowledged removing her gun from a coat or backpack pocket and placing it in her lap or on the front passenger’s seat, according to charging documents.

“Crews stated that she removed the firearm and handled it because she was in fear,” police wrote, but she did not explain why she didn’t pull over or drive away from the roadway interaction.

Crews was placed on paid administrative leave when the D.C. department learned of her arrest. A spokesperson said Monday night that Crews was “on indefinite suspension without pay.”

Crews’ defense attorney, Robert Bonsib, indicated that Crews would lose her job because of her plea.

Metropolitan Police did not respond immediately to a request for more information Tuesday.

The victim in the case chose not to speak in court, but she said in a written impact statement read aloud by Assistant State’s Attorney Glen Neubauer that she feared for her life during the incident.

Neubauer said the victim swerved and “almost” hit another truck when Crews brandished her holstered firearm. No one was injured.

The victim wrote that she is coping with anxiety and fear and is often anxious while driving.

Given the chance to speak, Crews told Circuit Court Judge Robert Thompson that she was dealing with persistent medical issues on the day of the incident.

“I was just trying to get to work,” Crews said in court.

Thompson said split-second decisions can change a person’s life.

“This is one of those times for you,” he told Crews.

Thompson also said the consequences “could have been a lot worse” had Crews not agreed to a plea.

“I want you to be mindful of that,” he said.

Crews has been a D.C. officer since 2019 and received a Ribbon of Valor for responding to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In an emailed statement, Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said police are trusted to carry guns and are given a “wide latitude of discretion” when interacting with the public.

“This off-duty officer’s actions showed a lack of self-control where she escalated an everyday annoyance into a criminal act,” Leitess said. “Under both federal and Maryland law, a conviction for second-degree assault prohibits someone from owning or possessing a firearm. Today’s plea provides serious consequences for this reckless behavior and poor judgment.”

Crews was sentenced to two years’ incarceration, with all but one day suspended. She was given credit for one day of time served, meaning she will not return to jail.

Under the terms of her 18-month probation, Crews must surrender her departmental firearm, have no contact with the victim and take an anger management course.