Innocent bystander killed after police chase ends in crash on BW Parkway in Prince George's County

RIVERDALE, Md. (FOX 5 DC) -- A violent crash in Prince George's County that left a woman dead and closed a portion of a major highway for several hours overnight began after authorities say the vehicle involved was fleeing police in the District.

The crash happened around 9:30 p.m. Monday along the northbound lanes of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway near Interstate 495 in the Riverdale area.

Officials say the vehicle they believe was fleeing police struck another near the intersection, injuring the driver and leaving a woman dead on the scene. Authorities say the driver, who was the only occupant of the striking vehicle, was transported by helicopter with serious injuries. He is in custody at this time.

"I look in my rear view and I see the police and I see the sirens and all that. So about a minute later, the car comes past doing about 80 on two flat tires so I'm like, 'Oh, they chasing him," one witness told FOX 5 Tuesday. "So they come, they clear the traffic so as they go... I get behind the police and start driving and I ain't gonna say 30 seconds later we pull up on the scene, the car is flipped over."

"DC Police chased him all the way to Greenbelt. Like, they were chasing him through the traffic and he was on two flat tires so if I knew he was going to crash, y'all, the police, you knew he was going to crash and he was going about 80," the witness said.

Earlier Monday evening, authorities say a D.C. police unit was struck by the same vehicle on Quarles Street in the Northeast. Officers say the vehicle was badly damaged in the crash and that the driver fled the scene into Prince George's County. Police audio recordings seem to indicate that the pursuit of the vehicle was discontinued prior to the crash.

The D.C. officer was not injured in the crash on Quarles Street, authorities say. The woman killed has not yet been identified. The northbound lanes of Interstate 295 were closed from Riverdale Road to the Beltway for several hours.

Detectives are asking anyone who may have witnessed anything prior to the crash to contact the CIB Tip Line at 202-610-8737, USPP_tipline@nps.gov, or US Park Police Communications at 202-610-7500.