BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A 22-year-old man has been charged in the January murder of Chesley Patterson, the manager of a popular Little Italy restaurant, Baltimore Police said Wednesday.
Samuel Wise is charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, assault and a slew of related charges in Patterson’s death. According to charging documents, Wise was on an armed robbery spree in Fells Point when he tried to rob Patterson and ended up shooting him.
READ MORE: Manager At La Scala Ristorante Italiano Killed, Restaurant Says
Samuel Wise, 22
Officers responded after midnight on Jan. 24 to the intersection of Eastern Avenue and South Broadway in Fells Point for a shooting, where they found 44-year-old Patterson. He was transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The shooting happened shortly after Patterson closed up shop at La Scala Ristorante Italiano and was on the way home.
According to charging documents, detectives found through video footage from a doorbell camera that Patterson parked on the 1700 block of Eastern Avenue around 1:05 a.m. and went to a liquor store. When Patterson came back from the liquor store, he placed items in his trunk and got back in the driver’s seat of his car.
READ MORE: Vigil Held For Chesley Patterson, Slain Manager Of Popular Little Italy Restaurant
A gold minivan then allegedly blocked Patterson into the parking spot. An armed passenger got out and could be seen in the footage forcefully pulling Patterson’s door open. After a struggle, the suspect shot Patterson once.
The same minivan was seen in surveillance footage of two earlier robberies in Fells Point that night, the documents said.
Detectives developed Wise as a suspect after reviewing camera footage, conducting interviews, and examining physical evidence. An arrest warrant was obtained and Wise was arrested Tuesday in West Baltimore.
Police said Wise was transported to police headquarters, where he was interviewed by homicide detectives. After the interview, Wise allegedly tried to escape the headquarters but was apprehended.
Wise is being held at Central Booking and is waiting to see a court commissioner.
