In the early morning hours of June 26, 1978, a tragedy unfolded inside the Hyattsville District Station in Prince George's County, Maryland, that claimed the life of 25-year-old Prince George's County Police Officer James Brian Swart, a White male. Officer Swart, a five-year veteran of the department, was at the station assisting with the processing of two theft suspects.
The situation took a violent turn when one of the suspects, a 15-year-old, managed to disarm Officer Albert M.
Claggett, IV, and fatally shoot him with his own revolver in the booking area. Hearing the gunshots from another part of the station, Officer Swart rushed to Officer Claggett's aid. As he entered the room, the teenage suspect turned the weapon on him, firing a fatal shot that struck him in the chest. Officer Swart was rushed to Prince George's Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The 15-year-old suspect was apprehended at the scene. In the subsequent legal proceedings, he faced charges for both officers' deaths. He was ultimately found guilty of manslaughter in the death of Officer Claggett and not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of Officer Swart. The suspect received a 25-year sentence for his crimes.
After serving a portion of his sentence, the suspect was paroled in 1995. His freedom was short-lived, however, as his criminal activities continued. In 1997, he and his brother committed a bank robbery in Aberdeen, Maryland. As law enforcement officers closed in to arrest them, the suspect took his own life, bringing a final, violent end to a life marked by tragedy and crime.
