PLYMOUTH TWP., Pa. — A 21-year-old Montgomery County man is facing attempted murder and several related felony charges after prosecutors say he used his Mercedes SUV to repeatedly strike two police officers outside a Plymouth Township hotel on Friday afternoon.
According to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele, Dalton Lee Janiczek, of Lower Gwynedd, is charged with Attempted Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, Aggravated Assault, Assault of a Law Enforcement Officer, and other offenses following a violent encounter that sent two officers to the hospital and triggered a major police response near the Plymouth Meeting Mall.
Incident Timeline
Investigators say the incident began shortly before noon on Friday, Oct. 24, when a Whitpain Township sergeant attempted to stop Janiczek for erratic driving along Skippack Pike.
Janiczek allegedly fled the traffic stop, crossing a median and speeding away.
Roughly 40 minutes later, a Plymouth Township officer located a white Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon registered to Janiczek outside the DoubleTree Hotel on Fountain Road.
When the officer approached, Janiczek allegedly threw the vehicle into reverse, ramming the patrol car several times, then accelerated forward — striking the officer.
Prosecutors say the officer was hit multiple times — as many as four — as Janiczek circled back in the parking lot, striking him repeatedly before fleeing.
The officer suffered severe leg injuries and was airlifted to a Philadelphia trauma center, where he underwent emergency surgery and remains in intensive care.
A second Plymouth Township officer responding to the incident was then struck head-on when Janiczek’s SUV collided with his patrol vehicle on Walton Road, authorities said.
That officer was also hospitalized but is in stable condition.
Suspect Taken into Custody
Police say Janiczek sustained a minor graze wound to the head, possibly from gunfire during the confrontation. He was treated at Abington Hospital before being transported to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
Janiczek was arraigned Friday evening before Magisterial District Judge Thomas P. Murt, who denied bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 4 before Judge Jodi L. Griffis.
District Attorney’s Statement
“This was a deliberate and targeted attack on uniformed police officers doing their job,” DA Steele said in a statement. “The defendant used his SUV as a deadly weapon and struck these officers multiple times — an act of pure violence that could easily have been fatal.”
Authorities noted that Janiczek’s vehicle may also be linked to other ongoing investigations in Montgomery and Chester counties.
The incident remains under investigation by Plymouth Township Police and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau.
Community Reaction
Local officials and law enforcement organizations have condemned the attack.
“This incident reminds us of the dangers officers face every day,” said one township spokesperson. “The fact that both survived this ordeal is remarkable.”
Residents near the DoubleTree hotel and the nearby Plymouth Meeting Mall reported seeing a heavy police presence and multiple emergency vehicles following the crash.
Charges Filed
Attempted Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer Aggravated Assault Assault of a Law Enforcement Officer Recklessly Endangering Another Person Criminal Mischief Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Police
Photo Credit
📸 Credit: Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office
(Photo of Dalton Lee Janiczek, 21, provided by prosecutors.)
