Pedestrian killed in multi-vehicle crash in Northwest DC
Pedestrian killed in multi-vehicle crash in Northwest DC
A man was struck and killed by a speeding car just blocks from the White House on Wednesday, and the driver may have been trying to get away from police. FOX 5’s Shirin Rajaee joins us live from Northwest with the latest.
WASHINGTON - A man was struck and killed by a speeding car just blocks from the White House on Wednesday, and it seems that the driver may have been trying to get away from police.
Police have confirmed that one person is in custody in connection to the incident, which all happened on one of the busiest streets in D.C., just as many people were getting off work.
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What we know:
The crash happened at 16th and l Streets, close to the White House. After six hours of closure, MPD opened the roads back up.
Just before 4 p.m. on Wednesday, a car traveling southbound on 16th Street was speeding at a high rate, according to police.
When it reached l Street, it seemed to swerve left, striking a pedestrian crossing the road and smashing into four other vehicles.
The damage was so severe, the front end of one car was just gone, leaving a scene of chaos right in the heart of downtown.
When police arrived, they found a pedestrian, an adult man unconscious. There were attempts to save him, but he died on scene.
Two other people in the other cars were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Witnesses we spoke to say they believe this was the result of some kind of police chase.
What they're saying:
"There was a police car that was lying on his horn and his siren, and I wondered what was going on as I was walking up 16th St. I saw this other car racing down 16th St. towards Al going very, very fast," one witness who only wanted to go by Jim told FOX 5.
"This car is going 60 to 70 mph. It goes right in front of me, hitting the brakes with cop cars behind it, and then I come over here a few blocks away and there’s a pile up here," another witness, Alex Wroblewski said.
MPD says one person from the suspect's car tried to flee on foot, but was quickly taken into custody. It’s unclear if that was the actual driver or if someone else was also in that vehicle.
Police are not calling this a police chase, but say their internal affairs unit is looking into whether the suspect fled an attempted traffic stop prior to this crash.
Dig deeper:
16th and l Streets remained blocked off for hours, and those who live and work in the area are shaken, saying they typically felt safe living so close to the White House.
"It’s definitely alarming because, I mean, I walk my dog. It was 4:00 p.m. It could’ve been me, or it could’ve been one of my neighbors. It’s tragic. I mean, I’m just praying for everyone, praying for our families that were affected, people who passed, the cars that were hit and anyone who is around to witness it or the aftermath," neighbor Nicole Hinojosa said.
Multiple law enforcement agencies were on scene, including the U.S. Marshals and the FBI.
We are told this is not a federal investigation and that MPD is the lead on this.
No details have been provided on the suspect or the victim – the pedestrian who sadly lost his life.