Shoplifter sparks Beltway chase, hits 4 cars

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - A Maryland shoplifting spree quickly turned into a Beltway police chase Friday resulting in four hit cars.

Montgomery County police say two of the damaged vehicles were squad cars manned by officers treated for minor injuries. Another was a Tesla X driver.

It all started around 1:30 Friday afternoon, when police responded to a shoplifting call at a Silver Spring Kmart store, 14014 Connecticut Avenue.

Police then fielded a second shoplifting call out of a nearby CVS at 12359 Georgia Avenue.

Plainclothes officers say they found the suspect driving a stolen Chevrolet Express van. They say they tried to stop the van on Georgia Avenue at Forest Glen Road, but the driver rammed through two police cars blocking the intersection.

Then police say the suspect hit a Volkswagen GTI on Georgia Avenue. The Volkswagen driver went to the hospital for minor injuries.

The suspect then merged the wrong way onto the eastbound Beltway toward Prince George's County, driving on the right shoulder until hitting a pool of water. Police say the suspect lost control and swerved into a Tesla X near University Boulevard East.

Police say they arrested the suspect after he tried to run away from the crash. The Tesla X driver went to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

48-year-old Alfred J. Reeves of Oxon Hill now faces two counts of first degree assault, two counts of second degree assault, motor vehicle theft, larceny, destruction of property and various traffic violations.