UPDATE: Jan. 1, 2015:  Trucker from Hell Tried to Kill Cops

Cops say would-be cop killer was a nut case – half this country is on drugs and the other half needs to be…

GLENARDEN, MD. — The Prince George’s County Police Department arrested and charged a dump truck driver who intentionally rammed his truck into two marked police cruisers.

Providentially, the two patrol officers, who were standing next to those cruisers, escaped injury. The suspect is 31-year-old Gene Thomas Brandon Jr., of the 19000 block of Aquasco Road in Aquasco. The attack on the officers was captured on surveillance video.

On January 7, 2015, at about 11:35 am, the officers were talking next to their cruisers in a parking lot of a shopping center in Glendarden.

Prince Georges Police report that Brandon pulled up his dump truck next to the officers and yelled at them from an open window. The officers ordered him to keep moving as he was blocking traffic. Brandon drove off and turned around in the parking lot.

Apparently, Brandon didn’t take too kindly to the brush-off.

Seconds later, the officers saw the dump truck barreling directly toward them. The officers, who were standing between their cruisers, ran out of the truck’s path. Brandon slammed his truck into the back of one of the cruisers, causing it to plow into the second one. The dump truck finally came to rest on top of one of the cruisers after pushing it more than 50 feet. Brandon then jumped out of his truck and aggressively approached our officers. The officers were able to take Brandon into custody without injury to the officers or the suspect.

Brandon is charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of first degree assault. He’s in custody at the Department of Corrections being held without bond.

Prince Georges Police made this comment in their report: “This appears to be an isolated incident.”  Wow, who would have thought there would have been more than one case of crazed dump truck drivers trying to kill cops?

The police say that their investigation reveals the suspect has a history of mental illness. He told detectives he had not been taking his prescribed medication.

A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 3, 2015 in Upper Marlboro, Md.

His charges are: attempted first-degree murder and first and second-degree assault on both officers.

Four traffic citations were issued by Maryland State Police Trooper Matthew Davis of the commercial vehicle division on Dec. 17, 2013 while he drive a 1997 Freightliner on Md. Rt. 5 at Mechanicsville Road in Mechanicsville, Md.

The charges filed in St. Mary’s County District Court included: operating a vehicle with inadequate tires, running a red light, driving off the roadway while passing a vehicle, operating a commercial vehicle without a permit card to the officer,

On Jan. 31, 2014 St. Mary’s States Attorney Richard Fritz dropped all the charges.

In District Court in Charles County, Md., on Aug. 6, 2013,  or failing to display a registration. On that charge, in a plea deal with Charles County States Attorney Tony Covington, Brandon paid a $50 fine.

Brandon has several traffic citations pending against him in Prince Georges County District Court and has earned multiple traffic citations for speeding which have been adjudicated.