Cyclist dead after being struck by allegedly stolen, speeding van, DC police say

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - A bicyclist is dead after being struck by a speeding, stolen van on Friday, D.C. police said.

Police responded to the scene at the intersection of 12th Street and Florida Avenue shortly after 10 a.m.

According to police, they were alerted to the allegedly stolen white van in the area of Benning Road by a license plate reader.

When officers saw the vehicle in the area of Benning Road and Florida Avenue, they tried to stop it.

The driver refused to stop, however, and fled the area, according to police.

A short time later, officers determined that the same van was involved in a crash with a bicycle at the intersection of 12th Street and Florida Avenue.

Investigators believe the driver was speeding westbound on Florida Avenue when he ran a red light and struck a car traveling south on 12th Street.

The van continued west on Florida Avenue and crossed the roadway to strike the bicyclist before crashing into a tree.

When officers arrived, they arrested the driver.

The bicyclist, 54-year-old David Salovesh of Northeast, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The van's driver - 25-year-old Robert Earl Little, Jr. of Northwest - was charged with second-degree murder, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.