By Ernesto Londoño
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 14, 2007

A Silver Spring man who eluded police in a foot pursuit in April that resulted in a Montgomery County police officer's death was indicted on manslaughter charges this week, Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said.

Ruel F. Dempster, 19, was allegedly driving while impaired about 1:30 a.m. April 25 in Wheaton when officers attempted to pull him over. He didn't heed a warning, police said, and led officers on a foot chase after crashing his car in the parking lot of an apartment complex near Dunsinane and Tynewick drives.

Officer Luke T. Hoffman, 24, was chasing him through a dark, wooded area when a police cruiser driven by Officer Stephen J. Wofsey, also looking for the suspect, accidentally struck Hoffman.

Dempster was charged with reckless endangerment just after Hoffman's death. The indictment, handed up Thursday, includes the following additional charges: fleeing and eluding police, failure to stop and provide identification after an accident involving an unattended car, and driving without a license.

Rockville lawyer Patrick J. Smith, who was retained to represent Dempster on the reckless endangerment charge, did not return a call yesterday. Efforts to reach Dempster by phone yesterday were not successful.

Police said Dempster told investigators that he didn't stop because he didn't have a driver's license. They said officers smelled marijuana in his car the night of the chase and found a cigar tube with marijuana at his apartment.

Hoffman was the department's 15th officer killed in the line of duty. He joined the agency in 2006 and was known as a hardworking officer who loved working the midnight shift.