Maryland State Police, Maryland
End of Watch: Thursday, March 29, 1990
Age: 40
Tour of Duty: 16 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: March 29, 1990
Weapon Used: Handgun; .38 caliber
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Corporal Theodore Wolf was shot and killed during a traffic stop on I-95 near the Route 175 interchange in Jessup, Maryland.
He stopped a vehicle for speeding and approached the driver to get his license. Unbeknownst to him, the vehicle had just been stolen from Alexandria, Virginia, but had not yet been reported.
After Corporal Wolf obtained the driver's license, he went back to his patrol car to get his summons book. As he did so, the driver approached him, introduced himself as a former police officer, and presented his credentials. Corporal Wolf admitted him to the passenger side of the patrol car as he began to write him a warning for speeding. When the driver saw that he was being issued a warning, he pulled out a gun and shot Corporal Wolf in the jaw. The suspect then stuck the gun in Corporal Wolf's mouth and fired again, killing him instantly.
The suspect and his passenger grabbed Corporal Wolf's warning book and fled. They abandoned and burned the car and the book in Baltimore County, and then arranged to return home to New York. They were arrested in New York after bragging to an informant that they had murdered Corporal Wolf. Both suspects were charged for their roles in the incident and convicted. One suspect has since been paroled, and the other is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Trooper Wolf had served with the Maryland State Police for 16 years. He was survived by his wife and three children.