CHARLES COUNTY, Md. (7News) — The Maryland Attorney General’s Office (OAG) said Wednesday that two women were in the car that fled from Charles County officers Tuesday morning before crashing into multiple other vehicles. The office said one of the women was hospitalized in “grave condition.”
By state law, the Independent Investigations Division of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office investigates police-involved incidents like the one that happened Tuesday.
PREVIOUS | 3 injured after car fleeing deputies crashes on US-301 in Brandywine
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) said one of the people in the fleeing car was wanted. According to the OAG, they were wanted out of Arlington County, Virginia.
The sheriff’s office said around 10:20 a.m. Tuesday, their officers were assisting another agency in trying to find a wanted person in a silver car. Maryland State Police said the silver car was a Toyota Camry.
CCSO said an officer saw the suspect’s vehicle near Leonardtown Road and Lakewood Drive in Waldorf and tried to pull it over. Per the sheriff’s office, the driver briefly pulled over but then sped away. Officers chased the car and lost sight of it near Substation Road.
State police said at some point the driver of the Camry crossed the median and went north in the southbound lanes of Rt. 301/Crain Highway, where it hit a Dodge Postmaster Van and then crashed head-on into a Toyota Sienna van. The multi-vehicle crash happened right at the Prince George’s County line, more than four miles from where Charles County officers first tried to pull the Camry over.
The OAG said a woman in one of the vans was taken to the hospital with what the sheriff’s office said were non-life-threatening injuries, and two women in the fleeing Camry were also taken to the hospital. It was unclear Wednesday afternoon if the most seriously injured of the two in the Camry was the suspect wanted out of Arlington or not.
The sheriff’s office said the people in the other van had minor injuries.
“That car was coming fast. So fast,” said Jose Aledria, one of the people in that van, when he spoke with 7News Tuesday.
As of Wednesday, the Attorney General’s Office had not named any of the people involved, but said it generally releases the names of officers involved in such an incident within two business days. In a statement, the AG’s Office added:
“The CCSO officers were equipped with a body-worn camera, and their vehicles were equipped with dash cameras. The IID will generally release the body-worn cameras and dashcam footage within 20 business days of an incident. There may be situations where more than 20 days is necessary, including if investigators need more time to complete witness interviews, if there are technical delays caused by the need to shield the identities of civilian witnesses, or to allow family members to view the video before it is released to the public.”
Local Story
