4 killed in fiery crash in Bowie believed to be youths, state's attorney says
MITCHELLVILLE, Md. - The four people killed in a fiery crash Friday night may have been juveniles, according to the state’s attorney for Prince George’s County.
Aisha Braveboy, state’s attorney for Prince George’s County, called the crash along Woodmore Road in Mitchellville a "series of bad choices made by young people that led to tragic outcomes."
Police said the car, a Kia Sorento, was believed to be tied to an armed carjacking in Greenbelt.
"It’s very just heartbreaking. I’m heartbroken for the individual who was carjacked, our victims are carjackings oftentimes have trauma. That trauma could last for the rest of their lives," Braveboy said. "What we believe is that there were a couple of young people that were in that vehicle that were likely not part of the carjacking that were killed when the vehicle attempted to flee from police. So, it is absolutely devastating."
As of Monday evening, the four people in the car had not been identified yet.
Featured
4 killed in fiery crash as driver fled officers in stolen vehicle, Prince George's County Police say
Police have released new details on what led up to a fiery car crash that left four people dead in Bowie Friday night.
Due to the severity of the burn injuries, their exact ages and genders are not known. When asked why investigators believe the four people were juveniles, Braveboy said her office received information from families and the police.
The preliminary investigation revealed the crash happened around 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Officers in the area of Lottsford Road and Palmetto Drive saw a Kia Sorento with expired temporary tags. When they tried to stop the car, the driver of the vehicle sped off and officers lost sight of it.
Minutes later, a witness said the driver of the Kia lost control and crashed into a tree. The crash site is about 2.5 miles from the site of the attempted traffic stop.
Zayd Hijazi of Mitchellville lives near the crash site and was home during it.
"I saw a lot of police, EMS, 911. We saw that there was fire coming out the car," Hijazi said. "I had a family member who went and checked, and he said there was one person who was coming from Annapolis who was trying to open the door, but he said from the fire, how hot it was, the door handle melted."
According to the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division found the incident did not meet the parameters of an officer-involved fatality.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit at 301-731-4422.