Early morning gunfire on Baltimore National Pike in the Westview area left one man wounded yesterday and led to a convoluted chase involving two cars and six arrests.
The wounded man, Noel Samuel Smith, 23, of the first block of Athol Ave. in Irvington, told police that he was shot in his left side when two cars pulled alongside his car and the occupants started shooting.
Mr. Smith was reported in good condition last night at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center after the 3 a.m. shooting. Police said they had not yet determined whether Mr. Smith was alone in the car.
The six men arrested were being questioned last night but had not been charged.
Police said Mr. Smith told them his car crashed into a utility pole after he was shot.
After the shooting, K-9 Unit officers noticed two cars speeding on Baltimore National Pike near Ingleside Avenue. The officers followed the cars, a Lexus and a Nissan, onto Security Boulevard where they tried to pull the cars over. The Lexus stopped, but the Nissan sped away.
Police said one of the four men in the Lexus tried to conceal a handgun under the seat. The man ran from police and jumped into the Nissan, which had returned to the scene. The men in the Lexus drove off, striking a police car on the way.
At North Rolling and Fairbrook roads, police stopped the Nissan and arrested the six men inside.
The Lexus was found empty on Johnnycake Road near North Rolling Road. A handgun, several rounds of ammunition and a small quantity of suspected narcotics were in the car, police said.
Both the Nissan and the Lexus had bullet holes in the hood, windshield and doors. Police had no immediate explanation for the bullet damage, but said the investigation was continuing.