A Severn teenager suspected of drug trafficking was arrested by Anne Arundel Police Sunday after they say he shot at his girlfriend and led officers on a 16-mile car chase.
Andrew Chase Ridge Canova, 18, faces 32 charges in the nighttime ordeal, including attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, seven counts of reckless endangerment, as well as nine firearm and 13 drug offenses.
At approximately 8 p.m. Sunday, officers responded to the 500 block of Kuethe Road in Glen Burnie for reports of a domestic dispute involving a firearm. There they met Canova’s girlfriend, who was taken to Baltimore Washington Medical Center for treatment of multiple injuries.
According to charging documents, she and Canova got into several increasingly violent fights throughout the evening. At one point, she demanded he pack his things and leave, but when he noticed damage inside his blue Mercedes-Benz, another fight ensued. Police said the girlfriend threw a scooter at the car before Canova took out a handgun and fired, missing his girlfriend before driving away.
Officers found Canova traveling south on Ritchie Highway and preparing to turn onto Sixth Avenue. However, Canova “immediately” evaded them, getting back on the highway and zooming between lanes. County police followed Canova past Corkran Middle School before calling state and Maryland Transportation Authority police for assistance.
Canova eventually turned onto Interstate 195 heading west, then circled the Southwest Catonsville Park and Ride and drove toward oncoming eastbound traffic. Police said multiple cars had to take action to avoid head-on collisions, though no injuries were reported.
Canova eventually pulled over and surrendered. Police said the chase took 20 minutes and covered16 miles.
After taking Canova into custody, officers smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from his car and searched the Mercedes.
Inside, they found more than $3,000 in cash, three cellphones and a five-gallon bucket with a sealed lid. Noting these kinds of buckets are sometimes used to distribute drugs without being detected by police dogs, officers opened it and found approximately 280 grams of packaged marijuana, nearly 30 grams of suspected crack cocaine, more than 230 suspected Oxycontin pills and 19 Xanax pills, according to charging documents.
When questioned by police, Canova admitted to using a firearm on Kuethe Road and said he threw it out the window sometime during the chase. A spent shell casing was found on the roadway in front of the house and video footage viewed by police showed Canova firing a gun at his girlfriend as she entered the front door.
As of Friday, no attorney is registered as defending Canova, who is being held without bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 12 in District Court.