Published on: Thursday, September 09, 2010

By Paige L. Hill

A Bethesda man suspected of attempted murder led Montgomery County Police on a day-long chase Tuesday and finally surrendered “peacefully” in Pennsylvania that evening, according to police spokeswoman Lucille Baur.

County police have a warrant out for the arrest of Joshua Prince, 32, who is charged with first-degree assault, attempted murder and firing a weapon in the commission of a felony after he allegedly shot a high-powered rifle at his former girlfriend early Tuesday morning following a domestic dispute, according to Baur.

Around 7:17 a.m., police received a 911 call about a woman who had just sought out refuge in an apartment complex in the 6400 block of Rock Forest Drive. The victim told police that Prince fired shots at her as she walked to her car in a garage at the Rock Spring Apartment complex, police said.

When police arrived on the scene, the shooter could not be found. Traffic on Interstate 270 was brought to a standstill as police shut down exits and tried to keep Prince from leaving the area. Nearby schools Walter Johnson High and Tilden Middle School were put on a code blue alert level, meaning classes continued as usual, but all outdoor perimeters were locked down, according to police spokeswoman Angela Cruz.

Police called in the aid of a SWAT team and released information about Prince to the public to aid in their search. The police publicized a photo of Prince and gave out a description of his car and license plate, hoping that someone might call in with information.

“At this point, we released the statement that he was considered armed and dangerous,” Cruz said. Prince apparently headed north to Pennsylvania where he surrendered to state police.

“Currently, Joshua Prince is being held by Pennsylvania state police as a fugitive of justice on the strength of our county police’s warrant,” Baur said. Prince waived his right to an extradition hearing, so he will be brought back to Montgomery County within a week.

“This is a positive for us to get him back to Montgomery and begin legal proceedings,” Baur said.

According to Baur, the victim broke up with Prince last week and obtained a protection order against him. Prince has most recently been working at a local hospital and has prior military experience, she said. Baur could not say if this was his first offense in Montgomery County.

“He is in custody, and everybody can breathe a sigh of relief, especially the community and the victim,” Baur said.