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Fairfax County police on Friday charged two men with malicious wounding in connection with an incident outside The Shark Club in Merrifield. They are Harry Inman Martin III, 25, of 13900 block of Khalio Lane in Chantilly, and Brandon Lucien Ramos, 24, of 60 block of South Hall Court in Sterling.
Police say a 23-year-old Falls Church man had a confrontation with Martin, around 1:40 a.m., inside the club at 8111 Lee Highway. Then, when he went outside, Martin reportedly drove up to him in a car. According to police, the passenger, Ramos, displayed a gun and allegedly shot at the victim, striking him twice in the back.
Police say Ramos reportedly fired additional rounds before Martin drove away. However, a police officer who was in the parking lot in an unmarked cruiser witnessed some of the incident and was able to intervene. He called for medical personnel and followed the car long enough to broadcast a lookout for it.
Within minutes, Martin lost control of the vehicle, which, say police, was "traveling at a very high rate of speed," and crashed on the off ramp from I-495 to Little River Turnpike. Police immediately arrested Martin. Ramos reportedly fled on foot but was soon apprehended a short distance from the crash. Police officers were not in pursuit of the vehicle at the time of the crash.
Both Martin and Ramos were charged with malicious wounding and held without bond at the Adult Detention Center. The victim was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital for treatment; police say his wounds were non-life-threatening.
Because it's part of the investigation, police declined to say the cause of the initial confrontation, nor will they reveal how the men knew each other. Malicious wounding is punishable by as much as 20 years in prison.