Dalton Lee Janiczek, a 21-year-old resident of Lower Gwynedd and a 2022 graduate of La Salle College High School in Wyndmoor (Springfield Township), was arrested on Saturday for the attempted murder of a Plymouth Township police officer.
According to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele and Plymouth Township Chief of Police John Myrsiades, on Friday a Whitpain Township police sergeant attempted to stop Janiczek’s white Mercedes G-Wagon following reports of erratic driving. Janiczek fled at a high rate of speed and crossed over the concrete median along Skippack Pike.
Just after 12:30pm, a Plymouth Township police officer responded to the Doubletree Guest Suites Hotel across Hickory Road from the Plymouth Meeting Mall in search of the vehicle. The officer found the vehicle parked at the hotel and activated his emergency lights. According to the report, Janiczek put the car in reverse and struck the police car several times.
The report continues that the officer then got out of the car and told Janiczek to stop, and Janiczek responded by driving directly at the officer, attempting to hit him. The officer fired his weapon at the vehicle but was unsuccessful in stopping Janiczek.
Janiczek is then said to have continued accelerating his vehicle and hitting the officer. As the injured officer attempted to apply a tourniquet to a leg wound, the report states that Janiczek returned to where the officer was in the parking lot and struck the officer three additional times as he lay injured on the ground.
Footage of the incident is below:
@kelsandelles trigger warning: police incident in the hotel parking lot at #doubletree in #plymouthmeeting we were just trying to enjoy the afterglow of #billieeilish ♬ original sound – Kel & Elle
Janiczek then fled, prompting a brief pursuit by Plymouth Township officers. The pursuit ended when Janiczek struck a stopped Plymouth Patrol vehicle head-on, injuring a second officer.
Both officers were transported to the hospital, with the first officer being taken by helicopter. The first officer underwent emergency surgery, and both are in stable condition.
Janiczek was taken into custody with a wound to the head and treated at Abington Hospital. He was discharged from the hospital and transported to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
All officer-involved shootings are investigated by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, which responded to the scene.
Since June, Janiczek has been stopped and cited by police in Whitpain, Lower Gwynedd, Springfield, and Radnor townships. In the two days prior to his arrest, he was stopped in Whitpain on October 22, followed by Radnor on October 23. Citations have included careless driving, speeding, driving an unregistered vehicle, and driving without a license.
Janiczek has been charged with multiple felonies, including Attempted Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, Aggravated Assault, Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Police Officer, and related charges. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 4.
He is currently a Loyola Marymount University student and member of the college’s rowing team. During his days in greater Glenside, Janiczek was a decorated athlete and captained the Explorers’ crew team during his senior year. His history of legal troubles includes 11 criminal charges since 2023, most related to reckless driving, according to records.
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Photo: Montco DA