On Friday evening, September 29, an accident took place in Mitchellville, Maryland, resulting in the death of four individuals.
The incident unfolded when the driver of a stolen Kia Sorento, which had expired temporary tags, evaded a traffic stop by the police. The Prince George’s County Police Department initiated the traffic stop around 7:30 pm due to the expired tags.
Instead of cooperating, the driver chose to speed away, leading to a brief pursuit by cops. However, for safety reasons, the officers abandoned the chase when they lost sight of the vehicle. Unfortunately, events unfolded rapidly after that.
Approximately four minutes after the police ended their pursuit, an independent witness reported observing the Kia driver attempting to overtake another vehicle using the road’s shoulder. Regrettably, during the maneuver, the driver lost control of the car, resulting in a collision with a tree that ignited a fiery explosion. The intensity of the fire made immediate rescue efforts challenging. All four occupants of the vehicle succumbed to their injuries. Identifying the victims was initially difficult due to the severity of the fire.
The police department, currently involved in ongoing investigations, is working on identifying the victims and notifying their families. Further inquiries into the incident uncovered additional details. It was determined that the Kia Sorento involved in the crash had been stolen earlier that day in an armed carjacking in the city of Greenbelt.
The Maryland attorney general’s office reviewed the incident and concluded that it does not meet the criteria for an officer-involved fatality. The crash site was over two miles away from the initial traffic stop, which influenced this decision.