A woman faces charges after allegedly driving through a closed portion of the Pikes Peek 10K race route in Redland, Maryland, on Sunday morning.
Montgomery County Police say they were alerted around 7:45 a.m. to a Jeep Wrangler heading toward a crowd of runners near Metro Access Road and Crabbs Branch Road. The driver, identified as Karen Christine Gangloff, reportedly ignored an officer’s direction to turn away from the closed intersection at Redland Road and Frederick Road. Instead, she drove through traffic cones and into a 7-Eleven parking lot.
As officers attempted to stop her, Gangloff allegedly fled down Frederick Road, ignoring signals to pull over. One officer had to move out of the way to avoid being struck by her vehicle.
Gangloff continued driving onto closed roads, including Metro Access Road and Redland Road, directly toward race participants. An officer eventually brought her to a stop by maneuvering his cruiser in front of the Jeep and braking, causing Gangloff to crash into the back of the police vehicle.
Police say she refused to exit her vehicle, prompting officers to break the driver’s window to remove her. A magazine containing five 9mm rounds was found during a search of the Jeep.
Gangloff was arrested and charged with first-degree assault and disorderly conduct. She is currently held without bond. No injuries to officers or runners were reported.
