Montgomery County police officer assaulted in Silver Spring

A routine stolen vehicle track by Montgomery County Police in Silver Spring took a dangerous turn late Monday night, ending in the assault of a police officer, a multi-agency manhunt, and the recovery of an untraceable firearm. On Monday, November 2, 2026, at approximately 10:44 p.m., a Montgomery County Police 4th District officer spotted a Chevrolet Corvette traveling southbound on New Hampshire Avenue. A routine check revealed the sports car had been reported stolen out of Anne Arundel County over a month prior, on October 1. Rather than executing an immediate high-speed traffic stop, police deployed Raven 32, Montgomery County's aerial surveillance unit, to monitor the vehicle safely from above. Air officers watched as the stolen Corvette pulled into a residential driveway in the 900 block of Hollywood Avenue. Two occupants exited the car and entered a nearby residence.

As plainclothes officers moved in to inspect the parked vehicle, the situation escalated rapidly. One of the suspects—later identified as 23-year-old Isaiah Armstrong Smith of Dallas, Texas—stepped out of the residence armed with a rifle. Before backup could fully converge on the scene, Smith struck a plainclothes officer in the head with the firearm. He immediately fled on foot into the surrounding neighborhood as additional police units arrived.

A perimeter was quickly established to locate the fleeing suspect. With assistance from Guardian, the Prince George's County Police helicopter, alongside Montgomery County K-9 units, law enforcement tracked Smith through the area. Officers successfully located and arrested him in the 900 block of Winhall Way. During a search of the flight path, detectives located and recovered Smith’s weapon in the 1000 block of Hollywood Avenue. The firearm was identified as a privately manufactured AR-style pistol (commonly referred to as a "ghost gun").

The second suspect—a 22-year-old Silver Spring man believed to have been driving the stolen Corvette—was arrested without incident in the 900 block of Hollywood Avenue. He was later released pending further investigation.

Smith was transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit. He faces several serious charges, including: 1st-degree assault, possession of a stolen vehicle, and multiple firearms-related offenses. He is currently being held without bond.