Police ID woman who was struck and killed after police chase ends in crash on BW Parkway

RIVERDALE, Md. (FOX 5 DC) — U.S. Park Police have identified a woman who was struck and killed by a suspect allegedly fleeing officers on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Prince George's County Monday night.

Investigators say 24-year-old Darnell Basset was trying to escape from police around 9:10 p.m. near 495 in the Riverdale area when his vehicle struck another vehicle.

The driver of the other vehicle – 27-year-old Brittany Burks of Amherst, NY – was pronounced dead after emergency crews and police arrived at the scene.

Burks was a dental student at Howard University.

Basset was taken – who lives in Northeast D.C. – was taken to a local hospital by helicopter suffering from serious injuries.

Basset is currently in police custody.

Earlier Monday evening, authorities say a D.C. police unit was struck by the same vehicle Basset was driving 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, however, the question remains unresolved.

D.C. police have opened up an internal affairs investigation into the reported pursuit. The probe is expected to determine whether the officer followed procedures during the incident.

The D.C. officer was not injured in the crash on Quarles Street, authorities say. 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.