The driver who led Maryland troopers on a chase along Route 29 and through the surrounding suburban neighborhoods in a stolen state highway truck has been arrested.
WTOP Traffic Reporter Dave Dildine reports on the chase through Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland on February 16, 2024.
The driver who led Maryland troopers on a chase along Route 29 and through the surrounding suburban neighborhoods in a stolen state highway truck has been arrested.
Officials said the man struck more than a dozen drivers in the state’s CHART vehicle before being arrested at 6:30 p.m. — more than an hour after the incident began.
State police believe the incident started when four vehicles were struck in a hit-and-run on the inner loop of the Beltway shortly before 5 p.m.
“One of the motorists, who was driving a Ford Ranger, fled the scene,” the department said in a press release. “According to a preliminary investigation, the driver of the Ford drove into the I-495/I-95 Park and Ride lot where it went off the road and struck a guard rail.”
Afterward, police said, “The driver exited his Ford and stole the SHA vehicle.”
The WTOP Traffic Center reported the pursuit started on the Capital Beltway at Interstate 95 in College Park, Maryland, after reporting that the person leading police on the chase was driving a stolen Maryland State Highway Administration truck.
The driver was “maniacally crashing into vehicles” along their way, including a Maryland state trooper, WTOP’s Dave Dildine reported.
Dildine reported several police agencies pursuing the truck along roads including I-95, Route 1, Powder Mill Road, Old Gunpowder Road, Konterra Drive and the Intercounty Connector.
Officers said the unidentified driver struck two vehicles when Maryland State Troopers attempted a stop, continuing a police chase through Beltsville, College Park, Fairland, and Burtonsville.
“During the pursuit, the vehicle struck power lines and was ramming other vehicles,” a Maryland State Police spokesperson said in a statement to WTOP. “The vehicle then struck multiple vehicles on southbound Route 29 in the area of Prelude Drive.”
The truck veered into a parking lot near Beltsville Road at Calverton Road, striking a pole attached to a powerline before ramming “a Maryland State Police vehicle and several civilian vehicles,” officials said.
“According to a preliminary investigation, the suspect is alleged to have struck 13 vehicles, which led to a civilian and two law enforcement members, a Maryland state trooper and a Montgomery County Police officer, being transported to area hospitals for treatment of their injuries,” the department said.
Police have yet to positively identify the suspect, but said vehicle theft and first-degree assault charges are pending in this case.
Helicopter footage captured by 7News appears to show the truck’s front left tire blowout, The loss of control happened moments before the driver crashed into several more vehicles, coming to a stop between White Oak and Four Corners.
Watch the police response and chase below:
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
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