Baltimore Police officer guilty of assault, but not attempted murder, judge rules

A Baltimore Police officer who was captured in a viral video driving directly at a man and striking him with his patrol vehicle is guilty of second-degree assault, misconduct in office and reckless driving, a judge ruled Thursday.

But Baltimore Circuit Judge Dana Middleton found Officer Robert Parks not guilty of the most serious charges against him: attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault.

Middleton said she relied most on the videos introduced during the two-day bench trial in reaching her verdict.

“Do I believe that Mr. Parks was trying to kill him?” Middleton asked. “No. I do not.”

But Middleton said the evidence showed that Parks made contact with the man with his patrol vehicle and violated departmental policies related to use of force, deescalation and operation of emergency vehicles.

“The degree of force used is a vehicle against a person on foot,” she said. “The degree of force is not reasonable. It’s excessive.”

His actions, she said, were retaliatory.

The case marked the most serious prosecution of a police officer in Baltimore in several years. When prosecutors do charge officers, it’s frequently for less serious offenses such as time sheet padding.

Before testimony began, Parks rejected a proposal that called for him to plead guilty to first-degree assault and misconduct in office in exchange for a maximum of one year of home detention.

After Thursday’s verdict, Parks, who’s been with the department for six years, remains free on home detention while he awaits sentencing scheduled for January. He has been suspended without pay.

In a statement, Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said he respects the court’s decision, but added that Parks’ actions “seriously threatened the life of the victim and the general public.”

Prosecutors will “now prepare to advocate for an appropriate sentence that reflects the Defendant’s serious actions,” he said.

“Police officers are entrusted with tremendous authority and an obligation to protect the public by making decisions on the job that prioritize safety,” Bates said. “When an officer instead engages in reckless conduct that threatens the lives of our residents, it undermines the critical trust between law enforcement and the community.”

Testimony and evidence presented at trial revealed that on Oct. 28, 2025, Parks drove up to Wylie Liquors Bar in Northwest Baltimore and told people who were sitting on the sidewalk to move.

They obeyed his commands. But Parks followed Antrell Smith and summoned him to his patrol vehicle because he had an open warrant for failing to appear in court.

Smith refused and walked away. That’s when Parks turned down an alley, accelerated and drove directly at Smith, hitting him with the patrol vehicle in a field.

A video posted to TikTok shows Parks continuing to pursue Smith before crashing into the fence of a nearby home.

Smith, 46, of Northwest Baltimore, testified that he did not know why Parks was chasing him. He said he was unaware he had a bench warrant.

“I was scared for my life,” Smith said.

In his closing argument, Assistant State’s Attorney Steven Trostle, chief of the Public Trust and Police Integrity Unit, said Parks acted in a way that “put everyone in peril” and was “patently unreasonable.”

“He got ticked off that this man had the audacity to walk away from him,” Trostle said.

Parks, he said, then concocted a story to “explain himself out of his absurd behavior.”

“Your honor,” Trostle said, “these videos speak for themselves.”

But Chaz Ball, Parks’ attorney, said his client was trying to bring Smith into custody.

“Officer Parks had no intent to kill him,” Ball said. “It was a calculated decision to corral a criminal.”

Ball argued that Parks turned on his body camera because he did not believe he was doing anything wrong.

Parks, 32, testified that he believed Smith was armed and posed a danger to the city based on his movements. He repeatedly called Smith a “fleeing felon with a potential firearm.”

But on cross-examination, Parks conceded that he never saw a gun.

Parks denied that he struck Smith or even came close to hitting him with his patrol vehicle. At one point in his testimony, he said, “I will acknowledge he ran in front of my vehicle.”

Parks said he used tactics that he learned in the police academy, including deescalation. He said he “still wouldn’t change it.”

“I have no vendetta against Mr. Smith,” Parks testified. “I’m not angry at him now.”