Hundreds of runners almost lost their lives after a real-life Karen tried to drive through them during a marathon in Maryland.
The suspect, unironically identified as 44-year-old Karen Gangloff, was driving a black Jeep at high speed on Sunday morning. Gongloff was headed straight for hundreds of runners who were participating in the Pike’s Peek 10K race along Route 355 in Derwood.
Her erratic behavior caught the attention of patrol officers, who called it on their radios. “She’s on the course,” one officer recalled. “I had her stopped at the gas station for traffic. She blew through and went straight. She almost hit me at King Farm & 355.”
Fortunately for the runners, the security personnel in charge of race security were prepared for this possibility. In a split-second decision, a sergeant who was at the scene got into his car, raced ahead of Gongloff’s jeep, and pulled in front of her car, slamming on his brakes. This forced the suspect to crash into the sergeant’s car.
Even after the 44-year-old suspect was stopped, she refused to open her car or step out of the vehicle. The officer repeatedly asked her to open her car window, but she refused, yelling inaudible words into her phone while seated in the driver’s seat.
As seen on the bodycam footage, the officer on the scene was forced to use a window punch to break Gongloff’s car and force her out of the vehicle. She was taken into custody and transferred to Shady Grove Hospital for evaluation. According to the charging documents, she was identified as a former military personnel by an expired ID. She was also charged with first-degree assault and disorderly conduct.
Gongloff’s intention remains unknown. However, when police searched her car, they discovered an ammunition clip containing five bullets, but no gun was recovered. After being discharged from the hospital, authorities transferred her to CPU for detention.
After the news broke online, several users responded to the incident, pointing out the fact that Gongloff was acting exactly like the Karen she was. “Oh, look, a Karen by her actual name, acting like one and trying to drive through a 10k race. Shocking 🙄,” one user commented. “Karens have been radicalized. Great job by the police getting this in hand,” another user remarked.
On the other hand, other users blamed the Trump administration for Gongloff’s actions, pointing out that her mental health was clearly not in one piece.
One individual commented: “Hmmm maybe if we worked more on the mental health of Vets… Or mental health altogether…” Another lamented, “Ex-military… cutting the VA mental health services and people are surprised?”
Another user pointed out that the “VA support staff and medical personnel are understaffed,” and with DOGE cutting funding, the mental health of veterans is at stake.
Notably, a FOX5 representative spoke to Gongloff’s neighbors after the incident, and they did not have anything negative to say about her. One said she was “surprised” to learn of the ex-military personnel’s actions because she “has always been a good neighbor.”
Sometimes people can be shocking with their actions.
